199 California High School Seniors Receive $219,000 In College Scholarships From Comcast

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast joined with hundreds of students and their families in a celebration of education on the steps of the California State Capitol today, announcing the 199 California high school seniors who have won a 2015 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship, and then presented each student attendee with their individual $1,000 grant.  25 of the winning students were also given a personal laptop computer to use at college, and Comcast distributed two additional $10,000 scholarships for a total of $219,000 in grants awarded at the special recognition ceremony.  And this year, a lucky student won two tickets and a chance to shake it off with Taylor Swift when she comes to town as part of the Xfinity sponsored The 1989 World Tour. The Leaders and Achievers program, one of the Comcast Foundation's signature community investment programs, recognizes students' leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.

In addition to their $1,000 scholarships, Yomira Abarca Radilla from Impact Academy in Hayward and Rebekah Ferrante from Valley Charter High School in Modesto, each won Comcast Founders' Scholarships of $10,000 -- instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation.  Radilla will be attending California State University, East Bay to study Biology, while Ferrante will study Psychology at Azusa Pacific University.

For a complete list of California's 2015 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship recipients, visit: http://comcastcalifornia.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=791

"Since our last Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship event, a lot has changed. From the increase in broadband speeds up to 2 Gigabit-per-second across much of California to continual household connection growth in our Internet Essentials program to customer service improvements, Comcast has been leading that change. But one thing that's constant is the importance of education," said Hank Fore, Regional Senior Vice President of Comcast California.  "Each year, we show our ongoing commitment to the communities we work and live in by investing in our children through scholarships and educational tools. Comcast also honors those individuals who make a difference to improve our educational systems by future-proofing the skills that children need to succeed in school and beyond."

Each student who attended the celebration of education at the capitol received their $1,000 Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship from their local legislators or Comcast executives.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, the 25 winners of the laptop computers and the two winners of the $10,000 Comcast Founders' Scholarships were announced.  A televised version of the ceremony can be viewed on Comcast Hometown Network (Channel 104 on Comcast systems throughout California) or via Comcast's On Demand platform on Channel 1.

About the Comcast "Leaders And Achiever's® Scholarship Program"The Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program provides $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

Since the inception of the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Program in 2000, more than $22.8 million in scholarships has been awarded to approximately 23,000 deserving students to use toward their pursuit of a higher education.  Connect with the scholarship winners at www.facebook.com/ComcastLeadersandAchievers.

Each year, Comcast works with high school principals, guidance counselors and school administrators to select the scholarship recipients.  The Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program is managed by Scholarship Program Administrators—an independent, not-for-profit organization that manages corporate and corporate foundation scholarship programs. For more information on the Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, visit http://corporate.comcast.com/our-values/community-investment

About the Comcast Foundation The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—promoting service, expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow's leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated nearly $158 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.

NOTE: Downloadable B-Roll footage of Comcast's education event will be available after 2:30 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday afternoon, June 17th, at this link http://comcastcalifornia.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=98.

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SOURCE Comcast