Contact: Melissa Reifert
August 10, 2007

Coca-Cola Scholarship Awarded to MECC Student

Mountain Empire Community College liberal arts student Elisha Alexander is being honored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation as a Two-Year Colleges Scholarship winner for 2007.  She will receive a $1000 scholarship from the foundation, provided through the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program.  Alexander, a resident of Wise, Virginia, is among 400 recipients nationwide who are being recognized by the Scholars Foundation for their academic achievement and record of community service within the past 12 months.

“The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program gives support and encouragement to an under-served population of college students,” states J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.   This program is an extension of our long-standing commitment to college education throughout the United States.  These fine students, who often juggle school, work, and family, continue to give back to their communities through volunteer service.”

Alexander, who completed an associate degree with a concentration in paralegal studies last spring, is actively involved in a number of different organizations on the MECC campus.  Last year, she was both Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) President.  This year, she will continue to serve as a member of PBL and will be the Vice-President for PTK. 

In addition, Alexander is a member of the campus Tutor Club and works in the MECC bookstore.  She has also volunteered for events such as the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and MECC’s campus recycling project.  Alexander believes that extracurricular activities enabled her to meet people quickly.

“I’m all over campus,” she says.  “I’m originally from Michigan, so when I came here, I didn’t know anyone.  I wanted to meet people.  I encourage all students to get involved.  I believe the more active you are on campus; the more motivated you become to do better in your classes.”

According to her teachers, the classroom is an area in which Alexander has excelled.  “I am so delighted that Elisha is receiving the Coca-Cola Scholarship,” states MECC Mathematics Professor Sylvia Brown. “She is so well-deserving. I taught Elisha, and she is a very conscientious student. I am so glad a bright student such as Elisha is going to be able to continue her education.”

In fact, Alexander plans to continue her education even after her final year at MECC when she will graduate with her associate degree in liberal arts in spring 2008.  “I want to transfer to the University of Richmond, and study to become an attorney,” she says.  “I have been interested in law since high school, and realized that it is definitely what I want to do after my internship with Adkins, Elkins, & Hunnicutt in Norton.”

Alexander points to MECC Legal Assisting Professor Beth Snodgrass as a mentor in guiding her in the legal field.  She also credits Counselor and PTK Advisor Carolyn Helms in helping her at the college.  “They have pretty much helped me from day one here.  If it was not for them, I don’t think I would have made it.  Any time I had issues, I could go to one of them, and they would help me get through whatever the block in the road was.”

“I believe the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation had students like Elisha in mind when this scholarship was established,” says Helms.  “She is a good student, and she wants to use her leadership skills to serve her community.  Elisha works very hard in all her classes, and that work has resulted in an excellent academic record.  This wonderful scholarship rewards her commitment to academics and service.”

The Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program was created when the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation received a grant from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation in Atlanta, Georgia with the challenge to create an initiative that would enhance the post-secondary education of future leaders.  The program is in its eighth year of funding. 

The Scholars Foundation was created in 1986 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola and establish a legacy for the education of tomorrow’s leaders.  It is supported by the Coca-Cola Company and has provided $3.25 million in scholarship awards to students attending two-year degree granting institutions.  The Whitehead Foundation, named after an original bottler of Coca-Cola, provides grants in support of human services initiatives.

MECC liberal arts student Elisha Alexander is a 2007 recipient of a $1000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.  All recipients of this scholarship have demonstrated academic success and participated in community service within the past 12 months.

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