Sallie Mae and Its Employees Step Up to Help Four Deserving High School Students Reach College

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Four high school students from across the country traveled to Newark, Del., as finalists for a new scholarship from Sallie Mae, the nation's saving, planning, and paying for college company; each student ended up walking away with $25,000 as recipients of the company's inaugural Bridging the Dream Scholarship. Sallie Mae Chairman and CEO Raymond J. Quinlan made the surprise announcement at a ceremony in front of the students' families, friends, supporters, and more than 500 Sallie Mae employees, who played an integral role in making the dream of college a reality for these deserving students.

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The Sallie Mae Bridging the Dream Scholarship recipients, Bryana Blanco of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Kendal Cooney, of Camden, Mich., Quinton Lopez of Canoga Park, Calif., and Kayla Pinzur of Brewster, N.Y., were selected after the company asked 20,000 high school counselors from around the U.S. to nominate students who exemplify excellence both inside and outside the classroom, have overcome obstacles, and have a desire and dedication to make college happen.

Bryana Blanco, 18, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., is a senior honor student at West Broward High School. She was nominated by her school counselor, Lisa Solovay, who noted Bryana's motivation, academic success, and affinity for helping others, even though her own family faces economic challenges. She currently is president of the school's Do Something Club, a global community service organization, and she is a member of the Thespian Honor Society, National Honor Society, and Drama Club, activities she balances while tutoring her peers in all academic subjects. Bryana plans to study nursing at the University of South Florida, where she has already been accepted.

Kendal Cooney, 17, of Camden, Mich., is a junior at Camden-Frontier High School, where she excels in academics and athletics. Nominated by her school counselor, Carmen Hughes, Kendal is a member of her school's student council, its Future Farmers of America chapter, and the National Honor Society, and she is the student ambassador on the Camden-Frontier School Board. She is taking four dual-enrollment college classes through Jackson College, and ultimately hopes to attend the University of Michigan. Kendal's life took a dramatic turn when she lost her mother to breast cancer in 2014. Inspired by her mother and those who cared for her, Kendal is determined to reach college and enter the medical field.

Quinton Lopez, 17, of Canoga Park, Calif., is a senior honor student at Chaminade College Preparatory. He was nominated by his school counselor, Jeff Fuller. A budding aerialist and gymnastics star, Quinton typically puts in a 20-hour day, balancing multiple college-prep courses with early morning aerial and cheerleading practice sessions, an after-school job as a gymnastics instructor, and late-night study sessions, which he starts after cooking dinner for his mother and siblings. He is also passionate about helping others and he loves working with kids. He dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon.

Kayla Pinzur, 17, of Brewster, N.Y., is a senior at Brewster High School. Ranked near the top of her class, she excels at writing, science, and the arts. She was nominated by her school counselor, Kate Simmons, who describes Kayla as an inspirational young woman of exceptional integrity and character, a person who is mature beyond her years, and someone who has remained positive through personal and family struggles. Kayla is passionate about dancing; she dances competitively and she spends time working with younger students as a dance instructor. She aspires to become a physical therapist.

Earlier this year, Sallie Mae employees around the country were introduced to the finalists' personal stories and circumstances and — inspired by what they learned about each deserving student — organized a host of fundraising events to support the scholarship. In just three months, Sallie Mae employees raised $50,661, which was supplemented by the company to reach a grand total of $100,000 for the Bridging the Dream Scholarship.

"Our mission is to make the dream of higher education a reality, and — as you might conclude from the extraordinary involvement of our employees in making this scholarship a reality — all of us at Sallie Mae are deeply committed to helping students and their families reach their potential," said Raymond J. Quinlan, chairman and CEO, Sallie Mae. "The Bridging the Dream Scholarship exemplifies, in name and intent, what Sallie Mae is all about, and we are proud to be a part of a community of school counselors, administrators, community organizations, and corporations that want to help families across America make college happen."

The Sallie Mae Bridging the Dream Scholarship is part of the company's continued commitment to helping students and families make college happen. Over the last year, the company introduced new products to help families save for college, launched initiatives that encourage families to plan for college, conducted research and partnered to create materials to help families understand and manage credit, and continued to offer competitive private education loans for students and now parents to cover any gaps in college financing. The company is also investing millions to enhance multiple aspects of the customer experience from application through repayment and has moved all private education loan customer service to the United States.

To see video footage of the Bridging the Dream Scholarship award ceremony, and for more information, including tips, tools, and resources on saving, planning, and paying for college, visit SallieMae.com.

Sallie Mae SLM is the nation's saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, Upromise rewards, scholarship search, college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

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