Comcast Awards Scholarships to Arlington, Alexandria High School Seniors

RICHMOND, Va. – May 30, 2013 – The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives, is awarding 57 Virginia high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program.  The program, one of the Comcast Foundation’s signature community investment initiatives, recognizes students’ leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.

Comcast, joined by Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash and other officials, recognized the students at a special event held May 23 at the State Capitol in Richmond.  Fifty-six of the 2013 Virginia Leaders and Achievers recipients received $1,000 scholarships, including two students from Alexandria and three students from Arlington. In addition, Alseny Diawara of Wakefield High School in Arlington was awarded a $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship - instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation - for a total of $66,000 awarded this year to Virginia high school seniors.  After a prize drawing, two students were also given iPads to use at college.

“I thank Comcast for its commitment to helping students across the Commonwealth to succeed in the classroom and prepare for the future,” said Fornash. “These students should be very proud of their accomplishments.”

“Comcast is dedicated to providing opportunities for young people to build the skills needed to excel in a highly competitive, technology-driven workforce,” said Tom Coughlin, regional senior vice president for Comcast. “We are pleased to recognize these students for their achievements, and commend them for the leadership role they play in their schools and communities.”

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program provides one-time $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students.  The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to be prepared for the future, to engage youth in their communities, and to demonstrate the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

Since the program’s inception, more than $17.7 million in scholarship money has been presented to more than 17,000 scholarship winners nationwide.

2013 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Winners from Arlington and Alexandria:

Alexandria

Mehma Chugani of T.C. Williams High School

Bridget Thompson of St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Arlington

Ford Avery of Washington-Lee High School

Alseny Diawara of Wakefield High School

Jennifer Frey of H-B Woodlawn High School

Osmar Trejo of Arlington Mill High School Continuation Program