PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Penguins Foundation today selected 18 high school graduates to honor with 2018 Penguins Foundation Scholarships.
In partnership with UPMC, and with the strong support of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU), the Penguins Foundation awarded 18 educational-based scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year. Over the past five years, the Foundation has awarded a total of 98 scholarships.
To be eligible, students must attend a Pittsburgh Public School or an Allegheny County high school that provides substantial aid to students for reduced-cost or free lunch programs per the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education – Division of Food and Nutrition.
Each scholarship is valued at $1,500 for the student’s first year of college, and an additional $1,000 is awarded for the student’s second year of college if a 3.0 GPA is maintained and a minimum of 24 credit hours are earned.
Penguins Foundation scholarship recipients for 2017-2018 are as follows:
| Student | High School |
| Ryan Andrews | CAPA |
| Jessica Lynn Bereksazi | McKeesport Area |
| Leanne Boody | Penn Hills |
| Renee Cebula | Highlands |
| Olivia Cindrich | Carlynton |
| Halley Cook | Taylor Allderdice |
| Cera Dickerson | Highlands |
| Jennifer Gustafson | Highlands |
| Kathleen Hanchett | Woodland Hills |
| Timothy P. Hoolahan | Penn Hills |
| Alyssa Lucas | Penn Hills |
| Marissa Matts | Brashear |
| Brogan McCutcheon | Springdale |
| Victoria Ruth Oberst | Northgate |
| Sara Pribanic | South Allegheny |
| Kayleigh Proud | West Mifflin |
| Chandler Maria Searcy | Obama Academy |
| Giovanna Varlotta | CAPA |
The scholarship was created in 1992 and has been presented annually to high school seniors for academic excellence, extracurricular school activities and community service. Over the past 26 years, the Penguins’ organization has awarded over $262,000 in academically-based scholarships to Pittsburgh-area high school graduates.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, the Penguins Foundation and UPMC will celebrate the honorees’ achievements at a luncheon at PPG Paints Arena on August 7 with the scholars, their family members, officials from their high schools, AIU3 officials and Pittsburgh Public Schools representatives.