North Carolina Student Wins Denny's National Hungry for Education Scholarship

SPARTANBURG, S.C., August 15, 2023 (VSNewsNetwork.com) - Jayla Thornton, a junior political science major at North Carolina A&T State University, has been selected as the national winner of Denny's Hungry for Education™ Scholarship. Out of a field of 2,444 applications, Thornton, a resident of Fort Washington, MD, received the top award and a $5,000 scholarship. Denny's, in partnership with the Tom Joyner Foundation, distributed over $354,000 in scholarships during the 2022-2023 Hungry for Education (HFE) scholarship season.

"There were thousands of phenomenal submissions, but Jayla's essay truly rose to the top," said April Kelly Drummond, vice president, diversity, equity, and inclusion. "Jayla's creativity, intelligence, and commitment to her community jumped off the page, and we're thrilled to provide her with this award." Thornton's winning essay proposed an initiative to combat "food deserts" in her community, specifically in Greensboro, NC. "This award means so much to me because it feels like a wonderful validation of my passion and hard work," Thornton commented.

Denny's Hungry for Education™ is a scholarship program that focuses on community engagement and has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships since 2011.

This year's scholarships open on Sept. 1 and students can apply by visiting www.dennys.com/hfe. To learn more about Denny's, visit www.dennys.com.

Source: Denny's Corporation via Newswire