Three Virginia Students Awarded Verizon Foundation Scholarships

RICHMOND, Va., June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Paying for college just got easier for three Virginia students. They are among 530 students nationwide who each will receive scholarships of $5,000 for the 2011-2012 academic year through the Verizon Foundation's scholarship program for the children and dependents of company employees.

The Verizon Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications.

The Verizon scholarship program selects recipients based on financial need, academic achievement and extracurricular activities.  Each scholarship is renewable for three years and has a total value of $20,000.  For the 2011-2012 academic year, the Verizon Foundation will provide a total of more than $2.64 million for the scholarships.  One hundred scholarships are for incoming freshman, and 430 are for continuing support for previous winners.

This year's first-time Virginia recipients are:

• Atif Javed of Fairfax High School in Fairfax, son of employee Anjum Javed, who plans to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.
• Jasmine Mingo of Henrico High School in Richmond, daughter of employee Cheryl Renee Mingo, who plans to attend the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University  and pursue a degree in animal and poultry veterinarian science.
• Megan Shrewsbury of Clover Hill High School in Midlothian, daughter of employee Roger A. Shrewsbury, who plans to attend Brigham Young University and pursue a degree in English studies.

Since 2001, the scholarship program has invested more than $42.3 million toward the college education of children and dependents of Verizon employees, benefitting 2,353 students.

"Education is a critical issue for our company and the communities where we live and work," said Robert Woltz Jr., president of Verizon Virginia.  "Through this scholarship program, Verizon for 10 years has provided an outstanding benefit to our employees and their children while also making a significant investment in the development of tomorrow's leaders."  

The Verizon Foundation awards the scholarships in partnership with Scholarship America, the nation's largest nonprofit, private sector scholarship and educational support organization, which was founded in 1958.

A list of the Verizon scholars for 2011 is available on the Verizon Foundation website at www.verizonfoundation.org.

The Verizon Foundation uses its technology, financial resources and partnerships to address critical social issues, with a focus on education and domestic violence prevention. In 2010, the foundation awarded nearly $67 million to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered nearly 6 million hours of community service since 2000. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.  

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 104 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers seamless business solutions to customers around the world.  A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.  

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SOURCE Verizon