Two Augusta County and Waynesboro high school graduates are the recipients of continuing education scholarships from The Hershey Company, in partnership with the William E. Dearden Foundation.
Each student will receive $5,000 to cover costs including books, fees, transportation and other living expenses as they enter the fall 2024 semester of college.
Gwynn Johnson graduated Fort Defiance High School and will attend Pennsylvania College of Technology for welding.
Haley Thorpe graduated Waynesboro High School and will major in Education at Bridgewater College.
“We are thrilled to announce the selection of these remarkable students for the 2024 Dearden Scholarship,” said Mike Sever, Plant Manager at the Hershey Stuarts Draft Plant. “The Hershey Company has a rich history of providing opportunities for youth, and we see this as another way to support young people in their educational pursuits.”
The Dearden Scholarship was introduced in 2023 in the communities surrounding Hershey’s Stuarts Draft manufacturing plant. The joint scholarship initiative recognizes the distinguished and highly respected alumnus of Milton Hershey School, William E. Dearden, who served as Chairman of the Board of The Hershey Company and oversaw the construction of the Hershey plant in Stuarts Draft.
In its second year, the initiative expanded to include communities near Hershey’s Hazleton plant in Pennsylvania. Hershey and the Dearden Foundation plan to extend the scholarship to other Hershey manufacturing communities across the United States, continuing the legacies of Milton S. Hershey and William E. Dearden in supporting youth.
Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.
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