21 Hospitality Students And Professionals Awarded Scholarships | Industry Partners Provide Critical Funding to AH&LEF

The following are brief descriptions about each scholarship. Click on each scholarship’s name to view 2010 winners:

• The American Express Scholarship Program awarded 12 scholarships totaling $21,000. Founded in 1994 by American Express, it is designed specifically for current hotel employees and their dependants. The fund has awarded more than $270,000 in scholarships to 240 students and hotel employees. The program also offers professional development scholarships for distance learning and certification offered through the Educational Institute (EI).
• The Ecolab Scholarship Program awarded $21,000 in funds to 11 full-time undergraduate students. Established by Ecolab in 1997, the program has awarded more than $275,000 to 199 hospitality management students and hotel professionals. The program also supports scholarships for professional certification offered through EI.
• The Pepsi Scholarship awarded four alumni of the Hospitality High School in Washington D.C., a total of $7,000 to continue their hospitality management studies in college. The PepsiCo Foundation established this fund with a $250,000 gift to provide perpetual scholarships to graduates of this school.

“Awarding scholarships is a fundamental and much-needed way to help students prepare for their careers. The Foundation’s mission for preparing hospitality future leaders would not be possible without the financial support of great organizations,” said Joori Jeon, CPA, CAE, AH&LEF president/COO.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, hospitality work experience, financial need, and other requirements based on specific criteria of the scholarship. Last year, AH&LEF gave more than $1.2 million to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, attract and retain quality industry professionals, and fund valuable research for lodging properties.

For more information about AH&LEF scholarships and other programs, contact Christa Boatman, manager of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3139 or cboatman@ahlef.org or visit www.ahlef.org.