NASHVILLE, Tenn. – June 10, 2019 – Nashville-based Advance Financial awarded scholarships to 10 outstanding Tennessee students at a banquet on Tuesday evening at Little Italy Maggiano’s in Nashville.
The event marks the fifth annual Advancing Education Scholarship Campaign, which is funded with money raised through customer donations coupled with a sizable contribution from Advance Financial.
Each year, Advance Financial selects a number of worthy students to receive a financial award to be used toward tuition at the college of their choice.
The scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors who have a 3.0 GPA or better and have demonstrated strong activity in community service and extracurricular activities, as well as financial need. This year, out of 68 applicants, 10 Tennessee students will receive $1,000 for each of their four years in college, as long as each maintains a 3.0 GPA. One of these students was local Smyrna High School graduate, Shayla Brooke Drummer.
“This program continues to get stronger every single year,” said Shantrelle Johnson, vice president of corporate citizenship. “This year, we exceeded our goal by 50%. We’ve never been prouder to be a part of communities that care so much about helping each other out and contributing to good causes like this. To be able to send 10 deserving local kids to college with less financial burden is an amazing feeling. Thank you to our customers for helping us blow our goal out of the water.”
The 10 winning students are:
- Moriah Tant – Graduate of Coffee County Central High School; attending Maryville College
- Shayla Brooke Drummer – Graduate of Smyrna High School; attending UT Knoxville
- Christen Bailey – Graduate of Martin Luther King Magnet School; attending University of Kentucky
- Michael Anthomy Lima Jr. – Graduate of Stone Memorial High School; attending Roan State
- Emma Harvill – Graduate of Clarkrange High School; attending East Tennessee State University
- Barbara Queen – Graduate of Northwest High School; attending Southern University
- Alista Brawner – Graduate of Macon High School; attending UT Knoxville
- Dionee McFarland – Graduate of Gallatin High School; attending Tennessee State University
- Rebecca Fisher – Graduate of Farragut High School; attending the University of South Carolina
- Allison Medlock – Graduate of Loudon High School; attending East Tennessee State University
The awards were presented by guest speakers Ashley Radnoti – a recipient of an Advancing Education scholarship last year – and Dr. Russ Keller – a Williamson County educator who served on the Advance Financial Education Scholarship Committee.
“We have such a diverse group of recipients this year, and they are all going to fantastic schools, in part due to this program,” said Dr. Keller. “It was so great to celebrate the students’ accomplishments along with their families and friends at this wonderful banquet.”
About Advance Financial
Founded in 1996, Advance Financial is a leading fintech company based in Nashville, Tennessee. With more than 100 stores in Tennessee and online services in 12 states, Advance Financial provides fast lending decisions on line of credit loans and other financial services, 24/7/365. Recent recognition includes 2018 Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies (7 straight years); A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau; Nashville’s 4th fastest growing company (2018, Nashville Business Journal); Forbes Best Employers for New Graduates (2018); and, Indeed Top-Ranked Workplace for Compensation/Benefits (2018). For more, visit www.af247.com.
