Frito-Lay Awards Four Outstanding Students With First-Ever Community Builder Scholarship

$100,000 in Scholarships Presented to Next-Generation Leaders Committed to Improving their Communities Across the U.S.

PLANO, TX / ACCESSWIRE / March 28, 2024 / Frito-Lay North America today announced it awarded $25,000 to four scholarship recipients, each actively leading and uplifting their local communities and contributing to a brighter future. The Frito-Lay Community Builder Scholarship serves to help each student with their higher-education goals and education-related expenses.

To select the recipients, a diverse group of employees across the Frito-Lay organization - including frontline workers, DEI leaders and executives - reviewed applications from 500 students in the U.S. Each employee offered a unique perspective based on their tenure and experience. They also demonstrated a commitment to pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), a strategic transformation focused on winning with purpose and giving back to the communities that Frito-Lay and parent company PepsiCo serve. Education creates multiple pathways to meaningful opportunities and remains key in fueling PepsiCo's long-term growth.

"As a first-generation college student, I also received a life-changing scholarship while pursuing my degree. I know the impact this scholarship will make on these students, who are each pioneering change through their own passions," said judge and Frito-Lay North America DEI HR Manager Jesus Gutierrez. "Each winner has had their own unique path to finding their purpose through community, education and their personal backgrounds. Based on my own lived and professional experience, I've seen the value diverse thinking and backgrounds can bring to leadership."

The recipients were:

• Mehar Bhasin - Lakeville, Connecticut
  Mehar is passionate about STEM and after noticing widespread gender and race disparities in the field, she co-founded the non-profit STEAM Bloom. The organization has provided over 2,000 students free access to computer science resources. She will be a sophomore at Dartmouth College in the fall. According to Mehar, "To me, community conveys a sense of belongingness, togetherness and collective growth. I truly enjoy contributing to their success, uplifting them, serving them, leading them and trying to make an impact."