Local students win $8K scholarships

Two recent graduates, Matthew Coffey of McIntosh High School, and Gemma DiCarlo of Whitewater High School, have been selected as recipients of a Georgia-Pacific Foundation Employees’ Children Scholarship.

Matthew is the son of Diane and Kevin Coffey. Diane is a tax manager with Georgia-Pacific.

Gemma is the daughter of Thomas and Lisa DiCarlo. Thomas is a chemical engineer with Georgia-Pacific.

Each year the company awards 50 scholarships to the children of employees across the country.

“We are proud that for nearly 30 years, the Georgia-Pacific scholarship program has supported our employees’ children,” said Curley M. Dossman, Jr., president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation. “Education has long been a cornerstone of our giving philosophy, and awarding these scholarships to Georgia-Pacific families is particularly gratifying. We wish these students continued academic success.”

At McIntosh High School, Matthew earned a 4.1 GPA and was a member of the Beta Club. This fall, Matthew will attend the University of Alabama, where he will study Chemical Engineering.

At Whitewater High School, Gemma ranked fifth in a very competitive class of 321 students. She was squad and section leader for the marching band, captain of the academic team, and a member of the Science, English, Spanish, and National Honor Societies, as well as the Beta Club. Gemma will attend the University of Georgia.

The Georgia-Pacific Foundation Scholarship Program for Employees’ Children awards $2,000 per year for up to four years of full-time college undergraduate study or until baccalaureate degree requirements are completed, whichever occurs first, for a total maximum award of $8,000.

Since the scholarship program began in 1988, Georgia-Pacific has awarded 1,450 scholarships totaling $11.8 million. The program is administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and is open to children of all active, full-time employees of Georgia-Pacific in the United States.  Georgia-Pacific received more than 300 applications for this year’s scholarships.