LCC Has First Coca-Cola Scholar

Lenoir Community College student Karen Jones has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. SUPPORTS LCC FOUNDATION - Coca-Cola Bottling Co. representatives Richard Stafford, general manager, and Deb Turnage, vending account manager, recently presented Lenoir Community College student Karen Jones with a scholarship through the LCC Foundation. Pictured left to right are: Karen Jones, LCC Director of Institutional Advancement Jeanne Kennedy, LCC President Dr. Brantley Briley, Stafford and Turnage.

Through the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program, the Foundation awards a total of 400 scholarships annually to students attending higher-education institutions granting two-year degrees. In April, one scholar from each state received a $2,000 scholarship from Coca-Cola through the New Century Scholar Program of the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa, the two-year college scholastic honorary organization.

Recently, an additional 350 students were awarded a $1,000 scholarship. All recipients have demonstrated academic success and participated in community service within the past 12 months.

"This is the first Coca-Cola Scholarship awarded at LCC and Karen is most deserving," said LCC Director of Institutional Advancement Jeanne Kennedy. "She is not only a member of Phi Theta Kappa honor organization, but she also serves as an ambassadors for the college. She is a single mother who manages to maintain an outstanding grade point average while balancing her family life and community service."
LCC President Dr. Brantley Briley also praised Jones' efforts in and out of the classroom. "She is an outstanding student who is studying Human Services Technology and plans to continue her education further. We are also appreciative of Coca-Cola for recognizing our outstanding students at LCC."

J. Mark Davis, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation , said the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program gives support and encouragement to an under-served population of college students . “This program is an extension of our long-standing commitment to college education throughout the United States. These fine students, who often juggle school, work and family, continue to give back to their communities through volunteer service.”

The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program is made possible with funding from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation. The Whitehead Foundation provides grants in support of human services initiatives. The late Joseph B. Whitehead was one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola.

The Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program complements the Foundation’s Coca-Cola Scholars Program, which awards more than $1.8 million annually in college scholarships to 250 outstanding high school seniors. The Coca-Cola Scholars Program is one of the most recognized and respected corporate-sponsored scholarships in America.