Monroeville Chick-fil-A employee surprised with $25K scholarship
MONROEVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) -- A Monroeville Chick-fil-A employee got a big surprise on Tuesday when the company's CEO awarded him a $25,000 scholarship.
Luke Marasco received the scholarship "to help him pursue further education and personal growth beyond the restaurant," the company said. The store manager said Marasco makes everyone feel welcome with his contagious energy and compassion over the past two years while maintaining a 4.0 GPA at Regent University.
"These team members are working their normal shifts and so they think we're coming for other reasons, so we're really excited about the surprise aspect of what we're getting to do," Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew T. Cathy said.
The $25,000 True Inspiration Scholarship is one of 14 that Chick-fil-A will award across North America in 2024. There's also a Leadership Scholarship for $1,000 or $2,500.
Cathy says about 14,000 employees are getting scholarships this year, and one out of six are first-generation college students.
"We really want to make the difference in the lives of our team members. They're plugging into the business and doing fantastic work serving our customers. It's just a way that we can invest in them and plant seeds for the future," Cathy said.
Company leaders say Marasco has also taken on the responsibility of training new team members, which is fitting since he is currently pursuing a degree in leadership studies with a focus on Christian ministry and business.
Chick-fil-A says on its website that it has awarded more than $162 million in scholarships to more than 93,000 team members since 1973.
The scholarship goes back to the late 1940s when founder S. Truett Cathy put out an empty container for customers and employees to donate to team member Eddie White's college fund. After graduating with a degree in education, White had a successful teaching career and eventually served as the assistant superintendent of schools in Clayton County, Georgia.