Forty local high school seniors are getting a jumpstart during their first year of college, thanks to the Scholarship Program sponsored by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga (RMHC). The students celebrated their commitment to academic achievement and community service at an award dinner and banquet held at Stratton Hall in Chattanooga.

The freshmen year scholarship recipients are: Ja’Keena Dillard, graduate of East Ridge High School, who will attend Emory University in the fall, Danielle Hampton, a graduate of Tyner Academy, who will attend University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Keylee Jones, a graduate of Hixson High School, who will attend Denison University in the fall, Clayton Mason, a graduate of Howard High School, who will attend Morehouse College in the fall, Derquazia Smartt, a graduate of Howard High School, who will attend Tennessee Tech University in the fall, Kyaira Spivey, a graduate of Tyner Academy, who will attend University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Alexis Walton, a graduate of Howard High School, who will attend Tennessee State in the fall, Steven Williams, a graduate Ringgold High School, who will attend Georgia College and State in the fall, Hira Qureshi, a graduate of Dalton High School, who will attend Tufts University in the fall, Danielle Shu, a graduate of Polk County High School, who will attend University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Edgar Federico, a graduate of Southeast Whitfield County High School, who will attend University of Georgia in the fall, Nubia Federico, also a graduate of Southeast Whitfield High School, who will attend University of Georgia in the fall, Karla Mendez, a graduate of Signal Mountain High School, who will attend University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Britthany Nunuz, a graduate of Southeast Whitfield High School, who will attend Kennesaw State University in the fall, Hector Prieto, a graduate of Dalton High School who will attend Georgia Tech in the fall, Kasi Argo, a graduate of Grundy County High School who will attend Berry College in the fall, Harley Cantrell, a graduate of Polk County High School who will attend Chattanooga State Technical Community College in the fall, Lindsey Chernicky, a graduate of Ringgold High School who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Kayla Curbow, a graduate of Polk County High School who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Casey DeWitt, a graduate of Chattooga High School who will attend Savannah College in the fall, Nathaniel Gill, a graduate of McMinn High School who will attend Tennessee Tech University in the fall, Michael Goldblatt, a graduate of East Ridge High School who will attend University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the fall, Jessica Higgins, a graduate Sequatchie County High School who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, Christopher Holt, a graduate of Chattanooga Christian School who will attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Kayla Johnston, a graduate of McMinn Central High School who will the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Michael Kennett, a graduate of Heritage High School who will attend Berry College in the fall, Mariah Kilgore, a graduate of Ridgeland High School who will attend Armstrong Atlantic in the fall, Drew McClendon, a graduate of Walker Valley High School who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Rebecca Michaels, a graduate of N.

Sand Mountain High who will attend the University of Alabama, Sheela Moore, a graduate of Polk County High School, who will attend Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Jennifer Parker, a graduate of North Sand Mountain High who will attend Savannah College in the fall, Michael Prentice, a graduate of McCallie School who will attend Freed-Hardman in the fall, Grace Smith, a graduate of Heritage High School who will attend Georgia Southern in the fall, Taylor Thompson, a graduate of McMinn Central High who will attend Middle Tennessee State University in the fall, Colby Thrift, a graduate of Section High School who will attend the University of Alabama in the fall, Jacklyn Warden, a graduate of McMinn Central High who will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Sierra Williams, a graduate of Northwest Whitfield High School who will attend Vanderbilt in the fall, Cameron Withrow, a graduate of Southeast Whitfield High School who will attend the University of Georgia and Cristy York, a graduate of Chattooga High School who will attend the University of Georgia.

Sophomore year scholarships were also awarded to the following: Brandie Morgan who attends Austin Peay, Vanessa Parras who attends the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Leydiana Munguia who attends the University of Georgia, Rebecca Sadowitz who attends the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Lyndsay Parker who attends Lee University.

Students were selected to receive a $1,000 RMHC U.S. scholarship each based on their grade point average, community involvement, letters of recommendation, and financial need.  As part of the selection process, students also undergo interviews by a committee of local volunteers. The scholarship funds can be used towards tuition or expenses at the college or university of the recipients' choice.

Students of all backgrounds are eligible to apply for the Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships. Ronald McDonald House Charities awards $1,000 scholarships to 40 local high school seniors each year as part of four programs: the RMHC Scholars program; the RMHC/Future Achievers(R) program for African American high school seniors; the RMHC/ASIA program for Asian high school seniors and the RMHC/HACER(R) program for Latino high school seniors. For more information, about the RMHC U.S. Scholarship Program, visit: http://www.rmhchattanooga.com/

Scholarships are jointly funded by grants from the global Ronald McDonald House Charities and the fundraising efforts of local McDonald's owner/operators and corporate staff. Since the program began in 2002, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga has awarded over $340,000 in scholarship funds to high school students who reside in the Tennessee Valley and surrounding areas.