(PHOENIX, Ariz., July 7, 2004) – Phoenix College students, Thao Ngo of Surprise and Jill Weeks of Peoria were recently awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Through the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program, the Foundation awards a total of 400 scholarships annually to students attending higher education institutions granting two-year degrees. In April, one scholar from each state received a $2,000 scholarship through the New Century Scholar Program of the American Association of Community Colleges and Phi Theta Kappa, the two-year college scholastic honorary organization. On June 25, an additional 350 students were awarded a $1,000 scholarship. All recipients have demonstrated academic success and performed 100 hours of community service within the past 12 months.

Ngo aspires to be a chemical engineer and volunteers every week at St. Joseph’s Hospital to help the pharmacists fill prescriptions, stock shelves and label drugs. She will graduate from Phoenix College in December 2005.

Additionally, Weeks recently received a degree in Dental Assisting with the highest distinction. She is now working toward a degree in Dental Hygiene and is an active volunteer within the dental community. Her volunteer projects have ranged from the Caring Hands Clinic for at-risk children to the Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School dental health fair.

“The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program gives support and encouragement to an under-served population of college students,” said J. Mark Davis, President of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. “This program is an extension of our long-standing commitment to college education throughout the United States. These fine students, who often juggle school, work, and family continue to give back to their communities through volunteer service.”

The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program is made possible with funding from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation. The Whitehead Foundation provides grants in support of human services initiatives. The late Joseph B. Whitehead was one of the original bottlers of Coca-Cola.

The Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program complements the Foundation’s Coca-Cola Scholars Program, which awards more than $1.8 million annually in college scholarships to 250 outstanding high school seniors. The Coca-Cola Scholarship Program is on e of the most recognized and respected corporate-sponsored scholarships in America.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation is supported by the financial commitment of the CCBA of Phoenix and The Coca-Cola Company. The Foundation was created in 1986 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola and to establish a legacy for the education of tomorrow’s leaders. Now in its 5th year of funding the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program, the Foundation has provided more than $2 million in scholarship awards to students attending two-year degree granting institutions and more than $25 million in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program during the past 16 years.

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