WINTERVILLE—Pitt Community College student Brian Kilpatrick has been selected to receive a 2020 Coca-Cola Military Leaders of Promise Scholarship in recognition of his outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential.
An Air Force veteran, Kilpatrick is majoring in business administration and marketing at PCC with plans to become a project manager of federal and military initiatives. The LaGrange resident will receive $1,000 through his scholarship award to help defray the cost of his educational expenses.
Born in Kinston, Kilpatrick is a 2001 graduate of North Lenoir High School who is preparing to enter his second year of PCC coursework next month. He has excelled in his studies thus far, earning induction into Pitt’s Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society chapter, which requires completion of at least 12 credit hours of associate degree coursework with a 3.75 GPA or higher.
“I feel appreciative, honored and accomplished to receive the Coca-Cola Military Leaders of Promise Scholarship,” Kilpatrick says. “As a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, receiving this scholarship shows that even after active duty, we still strive for excellence in all we do.”
PCC Science Instructor Joy Moses-Hall, an advisor to Pitt’s Beta Nu Upsilon chapter of PTK, says she feels proud knowing a panel of judges selected Kilpatrick for a Coca-Cola scholarship from a pool of nearly 700 applicants.
“These are competitive scholarships,” she said. “Students from colleges all over the world apply, and Brian received one of 25 academic scholarships reserved for top students who are serving or have served in the military and have demonstrated leadership skills. We are grateful for his service to our country and our community.”
Launched in 2001, the Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise scholarship program was established to encourage leadership development through participation in Phi Theta Kappa chapters and to provide financial resources that assist PTK members with obtaining associate degrees.
The program awards as much as $200,000 in scholarships – 200 awards worth $1,000 each – annually. Of these scholarships, 25 are earmarked for current members of the military or military veterans. Students must have a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA in order to be eligible for the awards.
Prior to Kilpatrick, Mary Buck was the most recent PCC student to be named a Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar. The Medical Office Technology student received the award in 2016.
07/27/2020