PepsiCo has announced the expansion of its program to provide scholarship funds and professional mentoring to assist Black and Hispanic students attending community colleges.
The Purchase-headquartered company and its philanthropic PepsiCo Foundation launched the program in March with an initial partnership involving four schools, including Westchester Community College.
The program consists of two scholarship programs ”“ one for students seeking two-year associate degrees or trade certificates and one for community college graduates transitioning to four-year colleges ”“ along with mentoring and leadership training from PepsiCo employees and opportunities to apply for internships and jobs at the company.
With the program”™s expansion, PepsiCo is adding nine additional schools and will be offering 1,400 scholarship opportunities through 2022 to eligible Black and Hispanic students.
“Black and Hispanic students are facing an unprecedented educational crisis as enrollment rates continue to decline and dropout rates increase, often because of financial needs outside of tuition,” said C.D. Glin, global head of philanthropy at PepsiCo and vice president of the PepsiCo Foundation. “Students need more than scholarships ”“ they need support to stay in school, finish their degrees, and access the job market.
“We launched this program to help students address some of the most critical barriers to their education and economic success, and we’re proud to announce today that we’re bringing more students in and helping them on their academic journey.”
