The PepsiCo Foundation named Atlanta Metropolitan State College (AMSC) a recipient of its PepsiCo Uplift Scholarship, a $250,000 grant designed to eliminate the barriers Black and Hispanic students face to achieving an academic credential that will help them enter the workforce and earn a livable wage. 

The PepsiCo Foundation selected 13 colleges around the country for the program, which will help AMSC facilitate students’ navigation and completion of certificates or associate degrees. The scholarship includes full tuition, books, and fees for qualifying students. 

AMSC submitted a detailed proposal in order to qualify for the grant, which is distributed over two years.  AMSC programs that met the PepsiCo Foundation’s criteria included certificates in cybersecurity, financial technology or FinTech, and information technology as well as associate degrees in the school of business.  In addition to academic course requirements, the students will attend seminars and mentoring sessions with PepsiCo employees and have the opportunity to visit the local PepsiCo Plant and offices in the Atlanta area. 

“The PepsiCo Uplift Scholarship provides yet another opportunity to support our college students, often first-generation, underrepresented and low-income, with the tools that will support a successful path towards program completion,” AMSC President Georj Lewis said. “More often than many realize, it is the financial and life obstacles that prevent an otherwise competent individual from obtaining the education and certification that is needed to enter the workforce. AMSC is excited to work with the PepsiCo Foundation to eliminate those obstacles.”  

Students interested in obtaining a certificate in one of these high-demand programs or an associate degree in business, should visit www.atlm.edu, to apply.  Openings are filling up fast.

“We found that PepsiCo’s Foundation and AMSC have a shared vision of transforming our communities,” Lewis said. “With that, we know this is a partnership that will benefit our students and our corporate partners as we strive to add productive, educated individuals with the tools they need to experience fulfilling careers and to become a productive addition to the Atlanta community.”