The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) will present $59,000 in scholarships to undergraduate students and educators pursuing careers and professional development in the restaurant and foodservice industry, during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show taking place May 22 to 25 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The scholarships will be awarded during the Michael E. Hurst Educational Forum and 23rd annual Salute to Excellence, a series of events hosted by the NRAEF, on May 22 at the Hilton Chicago.The NRAEF, in partnership with its endowment and leadership scholar donors, will present the following scholarships at Salute to Excellence:
- The Coca-Cola Co. will award two $5,000 scholarships to student honor delegates Melissa Dillard, University of Maryland East, Princess Anne, Md.; and Katie Fulgham, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa.
- The NRAEF in partnership with the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA), will award five scholarships totaling $12,500 to student honor delegates Adena Gilden, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; Robert Stretch, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Nicole Trussell, Newberry College, Newberry, S.C.; Laura Hooton, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA); and San Shoppell, Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii
- The Al Schuman Ecolab Undergraduate Entrepreneurial Scholarship will award $16,500 to undergraduate students Crystal Lingle, Penn State University; Soraya Khoury, the CIA; and Joseph Hawkins, Johnson & Wales University (JWU)
- Golden Corral Corp. will award the $5,000 James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Awards to ProStart educators Bonita Curtis, Maryland ProStart Educator Excellence Award Winner, Fairmont Heights High School, Capitol Heights, Md.; and Judy Uerling, New Mexico ProStart Educator Excellence Award Winner, Clovis High School, Clovis, N.M.
- The Robert E. Rich Sr. Chairman's Award Scholarship will award a total of $10,000 to four undergraduate students attending JWU, Cornell University and the CIA