This article has been updated since its initial publication.
Kennesaw State will award the Black and Gold Scholarship and the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars Program to incoming freshmen and first-generation students beginning in the fall 2018 semester.
The Black and Gold Scholarship aims to recruit and retain incoming freshman by offering them $1,000 in financial aid for four to five academic years, with the caveat that students must maintain good standing and earn their degree through KSU.
The Coca-Cola Scholarship has similar requirements and aims to assist first-generation students by offering $5,000 to be distributed as the student needs.
Joni Malson, KSU’s scholarships and donor recognition manager, said the Black and Gold Scholarship became available to incoming students in December 2017. Students sent in applications and were matched with a college on campus based on their interests and qualifications.
In January, colleges narrowed down applicants to eight to 10 per college.
KSU held an interview day on Feb. 10 for scholarship applicants. During the event, students were individually interviewed by a panel of faculty members from each college. The panels interviewed 87 students at the event, and 62 were later chosen for the scholarship. Another 8 students per college will be chosen yearly.
Malson said the event also served to help students establish connections. Faculty from each college, KSU alumni, trustees and other incoming students attended the event. Leadership members led students in an icebreaker, a leadership building exercise and a campus tour during the event to familiarize students with the campus and community — an opportunity that had not been offered in such depth before the event.
“It gave them an opportunity to meet other students so that, when they do get on campus in August, it’s not that they’re just thrown into the mix with everybody,” Malson said.
Similarly, the Coca-Cola Scholarship also became available to students in December 2017. Applications for the scholarship are being accepted from incoming first-generation freshmen through April 1, and interviews will begin based on those applications in the third week of April. Applicants will be narrowed down to 35 students who will then receive the scholarship beginning in fall 2018.
“A selection committee of KSU scholarship administrators, graduation coaches and faculty will be formed to pick 21 first-generation students and 14 first-generation, underrepresented STEM students from a pool of eligible applicants,” said Travis Highfield, a spokesperson for KSU, in an email. “Students will be evaluated based on financial need, grade point average, academic major, community service and a scholarship essay.”
Coca-Cola will provide students with mentors and on-campus graduation coaches. Students will then be required to visit their coaches at least once a month. The coaches are in place to assist students with any questions concerning their time at KSU.
The grant will be given to 35 first-generation students, and 14 of them will be awarded to STEM majors. The grant is also Coca-Cola’s first major grant to KSU, totaling $1.25 million.
