Industry Partners Award Scholarships to 25 Hospitality Students and Professionals

$53,000 Awarded Via Donors from Educational Foundation

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. October 14, 2008

SEPTEMBER 9, 2008. The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF), the not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), administers four scholarships on behalf of industry suppliers and partners, the American Automobile Association (AAA), American Express, Ecolab, and PepsiCo. These four scholarship programs, totaling $53,000, contribute to AH&LEF's total of more than $560,000 in academic scholarships awarded annually.

The following are brief descriptions about each scholarship. Click on each scholarship's name to view 2008 winners and comments from the donors:

o AAA, whose annual AAA Five Diamond Hospitality Scholarship, established in 2001, honors one exceptional student each year with a $5,000 award from a Foundation-affiliated four-year program. This year, Brittany Evers from the University of New Orleans was selected.

o The American Express Scholarship Program awarded 10 hotel employees with a total of $17,000. Founded in 1994 by American Express, it is designed specifically for current hotel employees and their dependants. Endowed with $500,000, the fund has awarded more than $233,000 in scholarships to 196 students to date. The program also offers professional development scholarships for distance learning and certification offered through the Educational Institute (EI).

o The Ecolab Scholarship Program awarded $17,000 in funds to nine full-time undergraduate students. Established by Ecolab in 1997, the program has awarded more than $248,000 to 173 hospitality management students and hotel professionals. The program also supports scholarships for professional certification offered through EI.

o The Pepsi Scholarship awarded five alumni of the Hospitality High School in Washington D.C., a total of $14,000 to continue their hospitality management studies in college. The PepsiCo Foundation established this fund with a $250,000 to provide perpetual scholarships to graduates of this school.

'It's incredible to see the dollars utilized in tangible self-improvement efforts by students who will some day shape the future of our industry based on the opportunities these generous donors have made possible,' said Joori Jeon, CPA, CAE, AH&LEF president/COO. 'We are thrilled at our partners' long-term dedication to cultivating tomorrow's hospitality leaders.'

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 million to prepare promising college students for a career in hospitality, attract and retain quality industry professionals, and fund valuable research for lodging properties. Since the Foundation's inception, $11 million has been disbursed through its scholarship, education, outreach, and research programs.

For more information about AH&LEF scholarships and other programs, contact Crystal Hammond, director of foundation programs, at (202) 289-3188 or [email protected] or visit www.ahlef.org.