It’s no secret that paying for college can be a daunting task. Just ask Joshah Cass, who wanted to attend an out-of-state school to study aerospace engineering, a relatively rare major.
Cass knew that could be a burden for his family. But thanks to a $40,000 scholarship from the Jim Kennedy Scholarship Fund, he was able to graduate from Auburn University after four years and begin his career as a design engineer.
The scholarship fund, now in its 10th year, was created for children of Cox Enterprises employees and has helped a total of 110 students and their families.
The fund provides 10 new scholarships each year in the amount of $10,000 to high school seniors entering their first year of college. The scholarships are renewable for three more years, provided students meet eligibility criteria and establish financial need.
Cox Enterprises owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"My mother mainly raised me by herself, and she's been working at Cox for over 10 years now," said Cass, who graduated from Kell High School in 2013. He now works in West Palm Beach, Florida, and his mother Janice works in business support systems at Cox Communications, the cable and broadband internet subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. "It was a huge relief because we all know that the cost of college is continually growing."
Cass was especially thankful to Kennedy, the chairman of Cox Enterprises who personally funds the scholarships.
Scholars who are currently in college said they would not be where they are without the fund.
“That scholarship made me going out of state possible,” said Gabriella Marchione, a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She too has a rare field of study: a double major in global studies and peace, war and defense. “UNC gave me the opportunity to really focus on what I want to do, and opened me up to so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had in Georgia.”
The scholarship also helped her gain professional connections. This past summer, she was an intern at Cox. Her mother, Jamie Erb, works in corporate security for the company.
“It means a lot for our family as a whole. It’s given me so many connections within that company, that community,” Marchione said. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a career working for the government, specifically the U.S. Department of State.
Bentley Chapman has had a more unconventional college journey. She began playing soccer and studying chemistry at the University of West Georgia, but didn’t think the school was the best fit for her. She transferred to Gordon State College in Barnesville, and plans to complete her bachelor’s degree at Middle Georgia State University.
Along the way, she is thankful the $10,000-a-year scholarship allowed her to change her path without worrying as much about finances.
Chapman’s father, who raised her and her sister on his own, was “really stressing” about paying for his daughters’ education, she said. Billy Chapman works for Cox as a senior aircraft technician.
“This has really given us the opportunity to go where we want,” Bentley Chapman said, “and given us some more options and taken a weight off of all of our shoulders.”
Chance Shelton also stayed in Georgia, and used the funds from the scholarship to lessen his family’s financial burden.
“The scholarship was a moment of, ‘This is actually happening for me,’” the Georgia Southern University graduate said, “to go to college and pursue my next level of education.”
Shelton now works for an IT staffing company and is preparing to apply for law school. One day, he said, “I may want to apply for Cox or work for Cox.”
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