The Have It Your Way Foundation announced on Aug. 4 that it has awarded over $1.4 million in scholarships to a total of 1,258 deserving students nationwide as part of the eleventh annual Burger King Scholars Program. Among the winners, 23 students from Georgia received scholarship awards of $1,000, and one student, Neda Norouzi of South Cobb High School in Austell won $5,000, in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement, along with other academic and community involvement criteria.

Created in memory of Burger King co-founder, James W. McLamore, the Burger King Scholars Program has awarded a total of 15,070 scholarships, representing $15.4 million in awards since the program’s inception in 2000.

“In today’s economy, it’s too easy for dreams to be deferred. The Burger King Scholars Program helps to ensure that committed and accomplished students can achieve their dreams," said Ivette Diaz, executive director of the Have It Your WayFoundation.

“This year, we have enriched the program by not only giving away a record number of scholarships, but by adding three $50,000 awards and one $25,000 award,” said Diaz.

This year, 1,249 students were awarded $1,000 scholarships, and five students won $5,000 regional scholarships.  Also this year, for the first time ever, four major awards were given, including three $50,000 awards and one $25,000 award. 

This year’s changes attest to the Burger King Scholars Program’s growing popularity, as well as the large number of deserving students in need of financial help.  The field of 31,000 applicants represents a significant increase in the number of applications over last year, when only 3,200 students applied.

Scholarship awards help students offset the cost of attending college or a post-secondary vocational/technical school. Students throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada are eligible for the scholarships. Recipients are selected based on their grade point average, work experience, extracurricular activities and community service. Both Burger King employees and non-employees are eligible to apply.

Scholarship funds come directly from the Have It Your Way Foundation and are made possible thanks to company and franchise-owned Burger Kingrestaurants throughout the country that host a variety of fundraising activities in order to generate funds for scholarships each year. For more information on the program, including instructions for obtaining scholarship applications for 2012, visit www.haveityourwayfoundation.org.