Dunkin' Regional Scholarships Awarded To 3 Fredericksburg Students

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Dunkin’ held its second annual Dunkin’ Regional Scholarship this past spring, which awarded $125,000 in academic scholarships to high school and college students across the Washington, D.C., area.

Three students from the Fredericksburg area were among 50 students in the region who received a $2,500 academic scholarship to an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational technical school of their choice for the upcoming fall semester.

Working in partnership with Scholarship America, Dunkin selected the scholarship recipients based on their academic record, demonstrated leadership skills and overall commitment to their school and local community.

The goal of the regional scholarship is to recognize hard-working students in the D.C. area and to help ease the financial burden of pursuing higher education.

The three 2023 Dunkin’ Regional Scholarship winners from the Fredericksburg region are:

• Dhruv Bejugam
  • Hometown: Fredericksburg
  • High School: Riverbend High School
  • University: Duke University
  • Bio: Dhruv Bejuham is attending Duke University this fall to study Computer Science. In high school, Dhruv was the 3-time class president and the co-founder and president of the Entrepreneurship Club. They also played varsity tennis and served as the assistant coach. Dhruv is an international and regional competition champion of computer programming and a summer engineering intern for the Department of Energy.
• Colin Wolfe
  • Hometown: Spotsylvania
  • High School: Riverbend High School
  • University: Dartmouth College
  • Bio: Colin Wolfe is attending Dartmouth College this fall to study Mathematics. In high school, Colin was president of the Math Honor Society, the Computer Science Honor Society, and the Riverbend Programming Club. He also participated on the cross-country team and the academic team and received the Commonwealth Governor’s School Student of the Year 2022-2023 award.
• Ava Hecker
  • Hometown: Stafford
  • High School: Colonial Forge High School
  • University: Washington and Lee University
  • Bio: Ava Hecker is attending Washington and Lee University this fall to study Biology and Pre-med. Ava was the valedictorian of her class and co-founded Community Passion, a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for local youth to design and facilitate service projects. Throughout high school, she played both school and travel soccer and will continue to play at Washington and Lee. She hopes to pursue a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon after attending medical school!

Dunkin’ franchisees in the D.C. area have awarded more than $225,000 in scholarships to 90 students since the program’s inception in 2022.

“On behalf of my fellow local Dunkin’ franchisees, we are thrilled to support these hardworking and deserving students throughout the DMV,” said Maria Icaza, a D.C.-area Dunkin’ franchisee. “Whether it’s serving your morning cup of coffee or helping support our youth in the pursuit of higher education, our team is proud to help keep our communities running.”

A recognition ceremony to award each of the student recipients with their scholarship will be held at Nationals Park in D.C. on Wednesday, Aug. 2.