17 Gwinnett Students Earn Burger King Scholarships

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Seventeen Gwinnett County students were among the 337 in 11 states awarded scholarships through the Burger King McLamore Foundation on Wednesday.

Funded by local restaurants through donations from their customers, the Burger King scholarships give students $1,000 toward their educations.

The Gwinnett students' scholarships came via GPS Hospitality, one of the nation's largest Burger King franchisees.

The Burger King Scholars selected for the 2017 program from Gwinnett County, Ga. include:

• Autumn Williams, Archer High School
• Runako Campbell, Archer High School
• Megan Burchfield, Buford High School
• Mary Ashley Etefia, Central Gwinnett High School
• Michelle Vo, Central Gwinnett High School
• Ducal Hoang, Discovery High School
• Tsvetomira Peykova, Duluth High School
• Lu Yih, Duluth High School
• Nya' Ross, Grayson High School
• Oluwatob Uwe, Grayson High School
• Celese Gray, Grayson High School
• Samuel Coughlin, Meadowcreek High School
• Mohamad-Baasim Rehan, Mill Creek High School
• Bryan Endsley, Mill Creek High School
• Santiago Escobar, Mountain View High School
• Jasmine Keeler, Norcross High School
• Raya Ward, Norcross High School

"We are honored to recognize the achievements of this year’s McLamore scholarship recipients. We believe in their capacity to succeed through hard work, and we wish them well with their continued academic pursuits," said Tom Garrett, CEO of GPS Hospitality. "We would also like to thank the members of our restaurant teams for helping fund these grants, which wouldn’t be possible without their support. These scholarships truly make an impact on the lives they touch and in the communities they serve."

GPS Hospitality restaurants participated in both the spring and fall McLamore Foundation fundraisers in 2016, which generated $337,000 in $1 donations. Since its inception in 2000, the Foundation has awarded more than 30,000 scholarships to high school seniors, Burger King employees, their spouses, domestic partners and children across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, resulting in $31.8 million in grants to students in local communities.

This year’s recipients were selected by the Burger King McLamore Foundation based on their grade point average, extracurricular activities, community service and work experience.

"Investing in thousands of students each year is our way of advancing education," said Amanda Israel, executive director, Burger King McLamore Foundation. "These regional awards represent the top students across the nation who are working towards creating a brighter future for everyone."

For more information on the program, including instructions for 2018 scholarship applications, please visit the foundation website.

Photo courtesy Burger King McLamore Foundation