NACS Yates Scholarship Program

Philosophy
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 Jim Yates Scholarship was created to recognize and to support industry employees who demonstrate the potential and the determination to someday hold positions of senior leadership in the industry.

Program Specifics
Selected applicants are awarded $3,000 for costs of undergraduate career education, community college, or college. In addition, the scholarship also provides travel, attendance, and lodging at the NACS Show where the selected winners will be recognized at a special ceremony.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be employees that work for a NACS retail member company
• Applicants must continue working for the nominating company throughout the scholarship period.
• Applicant must be enrolled in undergraduate academic study
• Scholarships are one-year awards. Scholarship recipients may re-apply each year, for up to four years, if they continue to meet the eligibility requirements.
• The scholarships will be applied to tuition expenses at any accredited college or university in the United States. Recipients may transfer from one college to another and retain the award.

Application Procedure
To apply, individuals must download the application form and complete all parts. A completed application consists of an application form to be filled out by the applicant, a nominator's form to be filled out to 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.

Applicants can e-mail, fax, or mail completed applications to Jenn Makarsky.

Payment of Scholarship Funds
Scholarship checks will be mailed to the recipient's home address and will be made payable to the college or university only. Checks will be for one half of the award and will be issued in August and December.

If you or your company would like to donate to the Jim Yates Scholarship Fund, please download the contribution form and e-mail, fax or mail back to Jenn Makarsky.

Responsibility of Recipients
Scholarship recipients must enroll as full-time or part-time undergraduate college students and must continue in school for the entire academic year without interruption, barring illness, emergency, or military service. Recipients must remain an employee of the NACS member company for the entire period of the award. Scholarship recipients are responsible for making certain that their scholarship checks are delivered to the proper office at their college or university. Students must notify NACS if he or she transfers schools during the course of the school year or if no longer employed by the company.

2009 Scholarship Winners

Front: Melissa Bungo, Christy Merkel, Carrie Castille, Sonja Hubbard
Back: Jay Ricker, Doug Ansley, Nemnja Golijanin, Christopher Stewart
Not pictured: Eric Medina, Sarah Perry, Kerry Susan Thurlow, Garalyn Wetherington

Douglas Ansley Murphy Oil USA Inc.	Melissa Bungo Delta Sonic Car Wash Systems, Inc.	Carrie Castille Tom Thumb Food Stores
Nemnja Golijanin RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc.	Eric Medina Turkey Hill Minit Mart	Christy Merkel Bobby & Steve's Auto World
Sarah Perry Fikes Wholesale Inc./CEFCO Convenience Stores	Christopher Stewart RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc.	Kerry Susan Thurlow Honey Farms Incorporated
Garalyn Wetherington RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc.