Two Lebanon Campus students were recipients of the 2003 Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program Award. Ivette Lopez and Helen "Sam" Schnelly, both of Lebanon, were two out of four hundred national award winners.

The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program was created in 2000 through a grant funded by the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation. Whitehead was one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola. The scholarship challenges and creates initiative that would enhance the post-secondary education of future leaders. "The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program addresses a large, primarily under-served, population of college students. A scholarship of this nature provides the support and sense of encouragement these students need to continue to succeed," said J. Mark Davis, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

Lopez and Schnelly were nominated by professors at HACC for the scholarship. They were each picked because of their academic achievements as well as their commitment to their community. Schnelly has been involved with Hospice as a cook and volunteer. She also is the editor and chief of "Phoenix," the campus newspaper. Schnelly is also a volunteer at the information desk at HACC's Lebanon Campus. Schnelly's outstanding academic excellence has allowed her to receive six different awards and scholarships. "All of the help I received from faculty and staff has been a big part of my success at HACC," she said. Schnelly plans to attend Penn State University and study for a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Lopez has been a volunteer teacher's aid at Henry Houck Elementary School and a tutor of math at HACC's Lebanon Campus Learning Center. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the honors organization for two-year colleges, and was the first student to receive the Student Leadership Academic Award for 2002. She has also just been inducted into the National Dean's List for 2003. "HACC is a family setting and I enjoy waking up everyday and going to school," she said. Lopez plans to attend Lebanon Valley College and study elementary education.

Each year, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation supports students who exemplify their potential to become the leaders of tomorrow. The $1,000 scholarship award is accessible to a wide range of students based on a balanced consideration of leadership, character, achievement, and commitment, both inside and outside the classroom. The selection process takes place in three phases, which begin each fall and end in the following spring with the announcements of the award recipients.

The first phase is an application which seeks a record of the students overall involvement in school and community affairs as well as academic success and employment. The second phase consist of the semifinalist being notified and sent an expanded application with detailed biographical data, an essay, a secondary school report and personal recommendations. The final phase takes place in Atlanta in the spring at the National Competition, convened by the Foundation at its expense, to determine recipients of each level of award. The National Selection Committee designates 50 finalists as National Scholars and 200 finalists as Regional Scholars.

The value of the personal and educational development of the Coca-Cola Scholars and the value they return to their families, communities and educational institutions embodies the purpose of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has awarded nearly $16 million to more than 1,500 deserving scholars between 1989 and 1999. The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program Award received 858 applications and over 558 colleges participated in the application process.