Verizon Employee Group Awards College Scholarships to 14 Deserving Students Across the Country

Paying for college just got easier for 14 deserving and talented students across the country who have earned college scholarships from the Consortium of Information and Telecommunications Executives (CITE), an African-American employee resource group of Verizon.

Each high school senior will receive between $500 and $3,000 toward college expenses. In a recent luncheon ceremony, each student also was given a laptop computer courtesy of Hewlett Packard, a Microsoft Zune digital media player and $200 from the Development Roundtable for Upward Mobility to cover the cost of textbooks.

This year's recipients are:

• Hansanii Frazier of California, who will attend Dartmouth College and study medicine.

• Shamika Whitlock of Florida, who will attend Florida A&M University and major in criminal justice.
• Renee Austin of Georgia, who will attend the University of Georgia and major in biology, with a minor in business.
• Stephanie Davis of Illinois, who will attend Wittenberg University and major in business management, with a minor in journalism.
• Ashley Brooks of Maryland, who will attend Bowie State University and major in theater arts and communications. 
• Earline Rogers of Maryland, who will attend Towson State University and major in business administration.
• Preston Harris III of Massachusetts, who will attend Merrimack College and major in health science and pre-medicine.
• Clark Janifer of New Jersey, who will attend Northwestern University and major in mathematics and economics.
• Christina Johnson of New York, who will attend Binghamton University and major in media and business.
• Kristen Daniels of North Carolina, who will attend Spelman College and major in business and psychology.
• Rashod Davis of Pennsylvania, who will attend Widener University and major in business administration.
• Tavion T. Lacy of Texas, who will attend Huston-Tillotson University and major in computer engineering.
• Ishmael Sandiford of Virginia, who will attend Virginia Commonwealth University and major in electrical engineering.
• Jonathan Austin of West Virginia, who will attend Marshall University and major in accounting.

CITE selects scholarship recipients based on financial need and academic achievement.  The scholarships are for high school seniors who plan to attend an accredited four-year institution.

Since CITE established its scholarship program in June 1988, the organization has awarded more than $1.5 million to 835 students across the country.

"Education is the key to the high-skill, high-paying jobs of tomorrow," said CITE President Leona Punzi.  "Awarding these scholarships is an investment for a brighter tomorrow for our children, our communities and our company."

For more information on CITE, visit www.forcite.org.

CITE, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an African-American employee resource group of Verizon, is committed to industry excellence, community service, and personal and professional development.  For the past 25 years, the organization has worked closely with Verizon's senior leadership team to keep diversity issues at the forefront of the corporation.  CITE helps its members understand Verizon's business strategy and their roles in it.  CITE will remain a critical part of Verizon's future success, strive for the best, and continue its journey of helping others in need.

####