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The Pepsi Bottling Group Recognizes Local `Rising Stars'! Scholarships Help Disadvantaged Students Go To College

Posted on: Monday, 8 August 2005, 12:00 CDT

She was diagnosed with a learning disability in the 7th grade - but Janay Fisher of Dorchester, MA didn't let that stop her. By her sophomore year of high school, she was taking honors classes and setting her sights on college.

Now, The Pepsi Bottling Group Foundation (The PBG Foundation) is helping Ms. Fisher reach her goal, by choosing the teenager for its Rising Stars Program. Ms. Fisher and other winners will receive a $2,500 award, renewable for up to three additional years for a total of $10,000, or until they earn a bachelor's degree.

"This scholarship is going to help a whole lot," said Heather Fisher, Janay's mother. "I don't know what we'd do without it."

The program is designed to provide an opportunity for urban youth who have the potential and desire to succeed in post-secondary education, but who may have been overlooked for traditional scholarships because their grade point averages were not high enough. The PBG Foundation picked 20 Rising Stars winners in all, from four metro areas: Phoenix, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Boston. Five of those winners come from the Boston area.

Another local winner, Sophia Parise, says her grandmother never finished high school and her mother didn't go to college. That means Ms. Parise, who is from Brookline, MA will be the first in her family to earn a college degree.

"Our Rising Stars Program is all about helping students who have demonstrated an enthusiasm for education and a drive to succeed," said Cecilia McKenney, Group Vice President, Human Resources at PBG. "Many of them have overcome significant hurdles in their lives, and we salute them for it."

Applicants had to maintain a grade point average between 2.5 and 3.5, show evidence of leadership and participation in school and community, submit recommendations, and answer several questions about their educational aspirations. A committee of PBG employees reviewed the applications and selected the winners.

The other Rising Stars winners from the Boston region are: Jazmine Coleman of Dorchester, Karleen Porcena of Roxbury, and Danielle Blair of Boston. The PBG Foundation will present the scholarships to the winners at a banquet at McCormick & Schmick's in The Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Wednesday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m.

The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (www.pbg.com) is the world's largest manufacturer, seller and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages with operations in the U.S., Canada, Greece, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Turkey.

Source: Business Wire

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