NC hospitality industry awards $50,500 in scholarships and grants

RALEIGH, N.C., May 8, 2019 – The philanthropic arm of the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA), the North Carolina Hospitality Education Foundation (NC HEF), has announced its scholarship and grant recipients for 2019. Seventeen students and one educator in the state have been selected to receive $50,500 in scholarships and grant funding.
Scholarships are distributed to students pursuing post-secondary studies in culinary arts, restaurant management or similar fields, or to students whose parents are current hospitality industry employees. Grant funding supports educators in those fields.

“The goal of NC HEF is to attract, educate, and retain a professional workforce for the hospitality industry,” said NCRLA and NC HEF President and CEO Lynn Minges. “Because of our industry’s generous donations, these deserving students receive financial support to prepare them for careers in the industry.”

The 2019 scholarship recipients are:

• Karla Almeida Jimenez (Garner) is the recipient of the Vickie Clark Flaherty Scholarship. She plans to attend Wake Technical Community College.
• Tia Anderson (Raleigh) is the recipient of the William F. Carl Scholarship. She attends UNC-Greensboro.
• Sarah Bartlett (Valdese) is the recipient of the Johnson and Wales University Chancellor Award. She plans to attend JWU-Charlotte.
• Gwendalynn Faircloth (Edenton) is the recipient of the William F. Carl Scholarship. She plans to attend North Carolina State University.
• Jordan Fields (Clayton) is the recipient of the Jimmy Alfano Scholarship. She attends JWU-Charlotte.
• Brianna Fletcher (Holly Springs) is the recipient of the LM Family Educational Scholarship. She attends Wake Technical Community College.
• Lillian McClure (Charlotte) is the recipient of the William F. Carl Scholarship. She plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill.
• Hannah Moyles (Wake Forest) is the recipient of the Golden Corral Scholarship. She attends East Carolina University.
• Jake Nelson (Youngsville) is the recipient of the Jimmy Alfano Scholarship. He attends JWU-Charlotte.
• Nathaniel Pennington (Wilson) is the recipient of the Jimmy Alfano Scholarship. He attends JWU-Charlotte.
• Karly Plemmons (Weaverville) is the recipient of the Pepsi Service that Sells Scholarship. She attends UNC-Wilmington.
• J’Niya Rodriguez (Raleigh) is the recipient of the William F. Carl Scholarship. She plans to attend JWU-Charlotte.
• Lauren Sells (Charlotte) is the recipient of the LM Family Educational Scholarship. She attends UNC-Charlotte.
• Cathryn Struck (Mt Pleasant) is the recipient of the Mary Margaret Traxler Scholarship. She plans to attend Appalachian State University.
• Margaret Tabar (Waynesville) is the recipient of the Davidson and Jones Scholarship. She attends East Carolina University.
• Kennedy Taylor (Boone) is the recipient of the Ted Fowler Pursuit of Restaurant Excellence Scholarship. She plans to attend Appalachian State University.
• Angela Tedder (Raleigh) is the recipient of the William F. Carl Scholarship. She attends Appalachian State University.

ProStart teacher Jacqueline Brown of Asheville High School was awarded the Ted Fowler Educator Grant to pursue program development.
Scholarship and grant recipients will be honored at the 2019 Excellence in Education Awards Breakfast on June 17 at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary prior to NC HEF’s annual Future of Hospitality Golf Classic.

For more information on scholarships or grants distributed by NC HEF, click here. For information or to purchase tickets to the awards breakfast, click here.