MOUNT VERNON --
Melissa Glass, a junior at Brewton-Parker College from Taylorsville, continues
to benefit from the Coca-Cola Foundation's First Generation Scholarship Program.Glass is one of 25 Georgia college undergraduate students who received $500,000 in scholarships over four years and are the first in their family to attend college.
First Generation Scholars receive a $5,000 scholarship, which is renewable for up to three additional years, based on academic standing and participation in campus activities. Glass, the daughter of Danny and Linda Glass of Woodstock, was first awarded the scholarship for 2001-02.
To qualify for the scholarship a student must be a first-generation college student and maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Glass qualified for this scholarship by meeting the requirements and by also having a record of high school excellence in academics and leadership.
Glass is a business major who would like to enter the banking or insurance field.
"The generosity provided through the Coca-Cola Scholarship assists me in reaching my career goal of one day owning my own business," she said.
Glass and the other First Generation Scholars were honored in a special ceremony at the Georgia Governor's Mansion. First Lady Mary Perdue was present, along with Ingrid Saunders Jones, chairperson of The Coca-Cola Foundation, to honor the students and their families.
Through a partnership with the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges (GFIC), Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarships are available to 25 independent colleges and universities throughout Georgia. GFIC administers the scholarships along with the schools.
The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program is the largest among GFIC's scholarship programs. It is part of a larger First Generation scholarship program now under way on nearly 300 U.S. campuses in 27 states. The program also operates over 50 university campuses in China.
"We are honored to help Coca-Cola award these scholarships to students who are the first in their families to pursue a college degree," said Henry J. Hector, president of GFIC. "By attending Georgia's private colleges, these students have a unique experience that prepares them well for the future."
The Coca-Cola First-Generation Scholarship Program was created in 1994 and has since expanded with $3.3 million in funding to support students at 278 universities across 27 U.S. states. The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested more than $100 million in education initiatives around the world since the 1990s.
-BPC-