Ronald McDonald House awards scholarships

Two dozen high school graduates were recently awarded scholarships from the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Chattanooga.

The local students celebrated their commitment to academic achievement and community service at the organization’s annual meeting on June 25.

“These kids absolutely work for these scholarships,” said AJ Goodwin, McDonald’s owner/operator, in a statement. “That’s what we see when we go to the [RMHC Annual Meeting]/banquet. The students came up and they talked about what scholarship they had and what they were going to use it for. You could see these are people that feel as if they genuinely earned that and they’re determined to use it to their highest potential.”

Since 2002, Ronald McDonald House of Greater Chattanooga has awarded more than $796,500 in scholarships to students, according to a news release. Its Scholars Scholarship recipients are selected based on their grade point average, community involvement, letters of recommendation and financial need.

Scholarship recipients include: Sabriah Alshekhli, East Hamilton School; Jaylon Atkins, Chattanooga High Center for the Creative Arts or CCA; Jorja Cooper, Chattooga High School; James Coulthard, Cleveland High School; Isabel Dickson, Ridgeland High School; Chasity Evans, Chattooga High School; Dakota Gatti, Murphy High School; Emma Hall, CCA; Madison Hollis, Chattanooga Christian School; Brian Kim, Ringgold High School; Rhaena Kinder, Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences; Jordan Lewis, Hixson High School; Adella Lonas, Murray County High School; Sarah Lyles, Walker Valley High School; Hayle Mack, The Howard School; Payton Maffett, East Hamilton School; Jessica Potter, Walker Valley High School; Samantha Roberts, McMinn County High School; Fatima Sheikh, Hixson High School; Madison Sims, Baylor School; Carter Sparks, Trion High School; Jenna Sweatmon, LaFayette High School; Lilly Tran, Ooltewah High School; and Nathan Wagoner, McCallie School.