LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- This fall, the first class of Colonel's Scholars will have the opportunity to head off to college campuses around the country, thanks to scholarships provided by KFC's Colonel's Kids(R) Foundation.
Starting in February 2006, high school seniors who demonstrated their success in the classroom and significant financial need were invited to submit online applications and essays for consideration in the Colonel's Scholars Program. An inaugural class of 50 was selected from a pool of more than 100,000 applicants from across the country. This final group of students will each be eligible to receive up to $20,000 over four years to pursue a bachelor's degree at an accredited public university within their home state.
The Colonel's Scholars represent a diverse group of students from various backgrounds. One Scholar is the first English-speaking person in their family, who also cares for aging grandparents. Another Scholar has lived on their own since becoming emancipated from their parents at age 17.
Colonel's Scholars is a new, annual program of KFC's Colonel's Kids Foundation, an independent charity supported by KFC, its employees and franchisees. Its mission is to empower students to improve their lives with scholarship resources.
"KFC is honored and excited to help support these deserving students' dreams and aspirations, and give them the chance to improve their lives by receiving a college education," says Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC. "We look forward to hearing their success stories in the future and invite current high school seniors to apply for next year's scholarships."
For more information on Colonel's Scholars and Colonel's Kids, visit http://www.kfc.com/ or http://www.kfcscholars.org/ .
About KFC
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe(R), Extra Crispy(TM) and Colonel's Crispy Strips(R) with home-style sides, Honey BBQ Wings, and freshly made chicken sandwiches. There are more than 13,000 KFC outlets in more than 80 countries and territories around the world, serving some eight million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky.
About Colonel's Scholars
Colonel's Scholars is a program of KFC's Colonel's Kids Charity, an independent entity funded by donations from KFC, its employees, franchisees and KFC patrons, established as a non-profit charity in 1999. Its mission is to provide high school students scholarship resources to attend post-secondary schools within their states of residence.
Colonel's Scholars Class of 2006
Samah Abukhodeir, Lake Wales, Fla. - Florida State University
Amanda Adams, Wichita, Kan. - Wichita State University
Sara Amini, Houston, Texas - University of Texas
Kanita Beba, Saint Petersburg, Fla. - University of Florida
Christina Coutu, El Nido, Calif. - University of California
Tavis Dickerson-Young, Everett, Wash. - University of Washington
Ruth Diroff, Nashville, Tenn. - University of Tennessee
Sharonda Drew, Bogota, N.J. - Kean University
Everett Duke, Phenix City, Ala. - Auburn University
Tracy Elsen, Hecla, S.D. - University of South Dakota
David Fulton, New Meadows, ID - Boise State University
Paul Galvan, Yuma, Ariz. - University of Arizona
Mario Haynes, Ellaville, Ga. - University of Georgia
Krystine Hoefer, Elgin, Neb. - University of Nebraska
Tahamara Ibarra, Purdy, Mo. - Truman State University
Antommeshir Jackson, Jackson, Miss. - Mississippi University for Women
Dnesha Johnson, Alexandria, La. - University of Louisiana
Katherine Johnston, Chattanooga, Tenn. - University of Tennessee
Katarina Karac, Skokie, Ill. - Oakton Community College
Jessica Krueger, Monroe, Mich. - Monroe County Community College
Truc Lam, Houston, Texas - University of Houston
Sylvia Leung, San Mateo, Calif. - University of California
Gina Ludtke, Longview, Wash. - University of Washington
Tuong-Vi Mai-Tran, Houston, Texas - University of Texas
Megan Marino, Ashwood, Ore. - Eastern Oregon University
Amber McSpadden, Centerville, Va. - Northern Virginia Community College
Melissa Millard, Oak Creek, Wisc. - University of Wisconsin
Malcolm Neal, Detroit, Mich. - Michigan State University
Carlos Negron, Middletown, Conn. - Western Connecticut State University
Dung Nguyen, Anaheim, Calif. - University of California
Charles Nichols, Seneca, S.C. - Clemson University
John O'Connor, Westminster, S.C. - Clemson University
Mckenna Oney, Ogden, UT - Weber State University
Kelly Pemberton, Knoxville, Tenn. - University of Tennessee
Susan Pin, Farmville, Va. - Virginia Polytechnic Institute State
University
Naomi Pollica, Brattleboro, Vt. - University of Vermont
Nathan Reaver, Millersport, OH - University of Toledo
Loretta Rodriguez, Miami, Fla. - University of Florida
Brittney Shaw, Louisville, Ky. - University of Louisville
Michael Smith, Granite Falls, N.C. - University of North Carolina
Brittany Smith, Houston, Texas - Sam Houston State University
Darcy Thomas, Centerville, IA - University of Northern Iowa
Lisa Valera, San Juan, Texas - Texas A&M University
Stephanie Vandernoot, Chestertown, NY - SUNY College at Brockport
Laura Varnier, Mount Airy, N.C. - University of North Carolina
Victoria Walters, Waynesville, OH - University of Cincinnati
Amber West, Gillett, Ark. - Henderson State University
Cortez Wilson, Meridian, Miss. - University of Southern Mississippi
Delenie Wong, Alameda, Calif. - University of California
Larnard Young, Calumet City, Ill. - University of Illinois