WCC: Ten WCC Students Transition To Prestigious Universities With $50,000 Scholarships In WCC/The PepsiCo Foundation Partnership

Press release from Westchester Community College:

2021-11-17

Ten Westchester Community College Students Transition to Prestigious Universities with $50,000 Scholarships in WCC/The PepsiCo Foundation Partnership

Ten students from Westchester Community College (WCC) have been selected to receive a S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship from PepsiCo and its philanthropic arm, The PepsiCo Foundation. This new scholarship is part of PepsiCo’s $40 million Community College Program – established to address the issue of minority under representation in high-demand fields.

The PepsiCo Foundation’s community college program includes two types of scholarships – Uplift Scholarships for students seeking two-year associate degrees or trade certificates and S.M.I.L.E (Success Matters in Life & Education) scholarships for community college graduates transitioning to four-year colleges. Of the 13 community college selected to partner with The PepsiCo Foundation on this vital initiative, Westchester Community College is one of only three community colleges to partner with the organization for both opportunities specifically for Black and Hispanic students.

Over five years, The PepsiCo Foundation S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship (Success Matters in Life & Education) will award two-year scholarships of up to $25,000 per year ($50,000 total) to Black and Hispanic WCC students. Each scholar will also be assigned a professional mentor from PepsiCo to provide guidance and support along their educational journey, and financial literacy courses. To qualify, students must be transitioning to complete their Bachelor’s degree in a business or STEM field in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited four-year college or university in the U.S. PepsiCo recently announced the first 10 WCC 2021 graduates to be selected as S.M.I.L.E. Scholarship recipients. The scholars and their current schools are:

This press release was produced by Westchester Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.