ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Many of the current leaders of the convenience store industry got their start at the store level. Through hard work and commitment to learning, these individuals followed the career paths of the industry to positions of senior leadership. The NACS Scholarship Program in Memory of Jim Yates and David Erickson recognizes and supports industry employees who demonstrate the potential and the determination to someday hold positions of senior leadership in the industry.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be current full- or part-time employees of a NACS retail member company. Students must also be enrolled for the fall 2012 semester at any accredited two- or four-year college, university or technical institution, and continue to be enrolled for the entire year.

To apply, download the application form and complete all parts (application form filled out by the applicant, a nominator's form filled out by a senior company official, and an essay). If any of these parts are incomplete or missing by the deadline, the application will be void from competition. Companies may nominate multiple applicants for scholarships. Award winners will be notified by the end of June.

The NACS Scholarship provides each recipient with $3,000 for costs of undergraduate career education, as well as attendance to the NACS Show. Since its founding in 1998, the program has awarded 95 scholarships totaling $288,000.

For additional information about applying for the NACS Scholarship Program, contact Jenn Makarsky. To donate to the scholarship fund and for questions regarding corporate contributions, contact Carolyn Schnare.