THE ACHIEVEMENT FOUNDATION AWARDS NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP TO
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT STUDENT

Scholarship available to Junior Achievement student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement, leadership and financial need.

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Junior Achievement announced today that Margaret Rodriguez, an 18 year-old senior home-schooled through Huntsville’s Franklin School, was awarded the Joseph Francomano Scholarship by the Achievement Foundation, Inc. The Francomano Scholarship—an annual award of $5,000 per year for four years at any accredited college or university—is awarded to a graduating senior who has participated in Junior Achievement programs and demonstrated academic achievement, leadership skills, and financial need.

During her high school career, Margaret received a 4.35 grade point average, scored 34 on the ACT college entrance exam, was a National Merit Scholarship finalist, was a member of Phi Theta Kappa’s junior college honor society, and served as President of her junior college English Honor Society, Sigma Kappa Delta. Her extracurricular activities include tutoring at-risk students, volunteering at her local library, fundraising for Hurricane Katrina victims, and speaking at Junior Achievement of Northern Alabama’s Business Hall of Fame gala in front of 500 attendees.

Margaret plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business majoring in Finance, where she has been selected as both a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and a Joseph Wharton Scholar. Her career goal is to be a strategic planner for an international luxury goods firm.

“Margaret’s success speaks to the powerful impact of Junior Achievement programs,” said Tim Higgins, a director of Junior Achievement of Northern Alabama. “Given the talent and leadership she has demonstrated both in and out of the classroom, there is no limit to what she will be able to achieve. A college degree, combined with her entrepreneurial spirit, will make her an invaluable asset to the community.”

Margaret added, “I am honored to receive the Joseph Francomano Scholarship award and am grateful for the opportunity the award will give me to use the skills I have learned from Junior Achievement, both in college and in my career.”

The scholarship is underwritten by the Achievement Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a better understanding of the free enterprise system by young people.

A photo of Margaret Rodriguez is available upon request.

About JA Worldwide® (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today, 140 individual area operations reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than 3.5 million students served by operations in 118 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

About The Achievement Foundation, Inc.
The Achievement Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a better understanding of the free enterprise system by young people. In addition to making scholarships, the Foundation gives grants and loans to other nonprofit organizations which provide economic education to young people. For more information, visit www.achievementfoundation.org.

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