Mount Vernon Lee Chamber Awards Scholarships To 10 Students

MOUNT VERNON, VA — The Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce is recognizing the achievements of graduating seniors with scholarships for 10 local high school students.

The 2021 Distinguished Business Scholarship are given to graduating seniors who plan to continue studying in a business-related field. Recipients include Bemente Abegaz of Lewis High School, Ryan Bowers of West Potomac High School, Jayden Brown of Edison High School, Dina Cazun-Moreno of Hayfield Secondary School, Elizabeth Hutchison of Bishop Ireton High School, Craig Kalkwarf of South County High School, Gershon Price of Lewis High School, Marcos Montoya of Mount Vernon High School, Sara West of South County High School, and Julie Wu of West Potomac High School.

Many of the scholarship recipients will be the first generation to attend college in their families. Scholarships are provided with donations from local businesses. Businesses that provided complete scholarships are Covanta Fairfax Inc., Clearpath Solutions Group, Cisco and Ourisman Automotive dealerships.

Recipients expressed gratitude to the businesses who provided scholarships to help them attend college.

"The commitment the chamber makes to ensure scholarships each year is extraordinary," said Holly Dougherty, the executive director of the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce. "Our youth are the future, and these scholarships are an investment in the future of our community."

Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Jorgensen, president of the Army Retirement Residence Foundation – Potomac at The Fairfax Retirement Community, provided remarks to the scholarship recipients. He spoke about his education and career and encouraged the students to "never give up."

"What an honor to have General Jorgensen share his wisdom with the students," said Mark Murray, chairman of the chamber. "The Fairfax provided a lovely venue to present the scholarships and meet the families. We saw how excited the parents were for their children to receive these awards."

The chamber's annual scholarships are an annual tradition to help local students who are studying business. This year's scholarships total $20,000, and the chamber has provided more than $250,000 in scholarships over 20 years and counting.