COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF FOUNDATION AND DR PEPPER AWARD OVER 100 STUDENT-ATHLETES PURSUING TEACHING CAREERS WITH TUITION ASSISTANCE
Ten Student-Athletes Receive Grand Prize As Part Of Go Teach Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway
IRVING, Texas – Jan. 5, 2022 – The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation has released the list of the 2021 Go Teach Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway recipients and grand prize winners. Over $425,000 in tuition was awarded with over 100 student-athletes each receiving a $2,500 tuition grant. Ten grand-prize winners (one per conference) were each awarded $10,000 in additional tuition assistance. This is the second cohort of students that are part of the CFP Foundation and Dr Pepper’s collective effort to award more than $1.5 million in tuition over a six-year span to support student-athletes looking to become teachers, and the first year to include all 10 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences.
Conference partners and networks shared in the celebration with surprises and features on conference networks and digital platforms. Dr Pepper surprised many of the $2,500 tuition award winners with the news on a virtual group call with student-athletes from all 10 participating conferences. The grand prize winners were notified of their awards in a variety of ways, including coaches sharing the news, being surprised during an on-air interview and even being told live in the middle of an on-field presentation. Highlights of the features, presentations and surprises can be viewed in a video here: https://youtu.be/qRllepmg-wk
“It has been a thrill to meet these student-athletes who will soon become teachers and be able to support them with tuition assistance,” said CFP Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky. “We want to support as many student-athletes as possible to pursue careers in education. Dr Pepper’s generosity helps make this possible, giving us the opportunity to better recruit well-qualified and diverse teacher candidates for classrooms nationwide.”
The CFP Foundation is dedicated to growing its Go Teach initiative to place qualified teachers in classrooms and keep them in classrooms across the nation. Launched in 2019 following a pilot program at the University of Texas at Austin, the Go Teach initiative quickly expanded to a dozen schools by the end of 2019. Today, more than 15 schools are participating in the Go Teach program and identifying creative ways to help student-athletes move into the teaching profession.
“Supporting education remains a top priority for Dr Pepper,” said Derek Dabrowski, Vice President of Brand Marketing for Dr Pepper. “We are thrilled to once again partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation, providing tuition support to even more student-athletes pursuing a career in education.”
The Grand Prize Winners of $10,000 tuition grants (one for each FBS conference):
Name, Institution, Conference, Sport
Cole Carson, Arkansas, SEC, Football
Ian Cook, Eastern Michigan, MAC, Track & Field
Esmeralda Fuentes, Texas State, Sun Belt, Track & Field
X’Zauvea Gadlin, Tulsa, AAC, Football
Kaeley Hallada, Purdue, Big Ten, Softball
Imani Hanson, UAB, C-USA, Track & Field
Cameron Ridley, Texas, Big 12, Basketball
Spencer Samuel, San Diego State, Mountain West, Water Polo
TBA ACC
TBA Pac-12
Recipients of $2,500 in tuition awards:
American Athletic Conference
Name, Institution, Sport
Gabriella Di Marco, Temple, Women's Rowing
Payton Dixon, South Florida, Softball
X'Zauvea Gadlin, Tulsa, Football
Kailey Hilderbrand, Memphis, Softball
Sydney Suntrup, SMU, Women's Rowing
Amari Williams, Central Florida, Volleyball
Atlantic Coast Conference
Name, Institution, Sport
Chase Coleman, Virginia, Men’s Basketball
Claire DeSelm, Notre Dame, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Emma Feehery, North Carolina, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Peter Fiorini III, Syracuse, Men’s Lacrosse
Darryl Gay, Florida State, Men’s Track & Field
Essence Henderson, Virginia Tech, Women’s Track & Field
Brandi Hughes, NC State, Women’s Track & Field
Avery Perosa, Pittsburgh, Volleyball
Amari Robinson, Clemson, Women’s Basketball
Abigail Schwenger, Miami, Rowing, Elementary and Special Education
Frederick Scott, Boston College, Men’s Basketball
Yuval Solomon, Wake Forest, Men’s Tennis
Job Trahan, Duke, Men’s Track & Field
Kenzie Walls, Georgia Tech, Women’s Cross Country
Liberty Williams, Louisville, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Big 12 Conference
Name, Institution, Sport
Abigail Gordon, TCU, Rifle
Stephanie Helsen, Oklahoma State, Equestrian
Peyton Kukura, West Virginia, Cross Country and Track & Field
Grace Posey, Oklahoma, Track & Field
Cameron Ridley, Texas, Men's Basketball
Tontyana "TT" Sanders, Baylor, Track & Field
Terrence Spurlin, Kansas State, Baseball
Kate Steward, Kansas, Swimming and Diving
Big Ten Conference
Name, Institution, Sport
Meg Conroy, Iowa, Field Hockey
Cameron Daniels, Michigan State, Rowing
Joseph DeHaan, Northwestern, Football
Andrew Gapas, Rutgers, Wrestling
Kaeley Hallada, Purdue, Softball
William Matzek, Illinois, Men's Track & Field
Celina Nummerdor, Minnesota, Women's Soccer
Rachel Powers, Nebraska, Swimming/Freestyle
Katie Pyle, Ohio State, Field Hockey
Conference USA
Name, Institution, Sport
Talya Cohen, Old Dominion, Women's Rowing
Leigh Faires McGee, North Texas, Women's Swimming & Diving
Cori Henderson, UNC-Charlotte, Softball
Imani Hanson, UAB, Track & Field
William Harrell, Louisiana Tech, Men's Cross Country
Rielly Mcnamara, FIU, Swimming
Kebreyun Page, Rice, Football
Hallie Shelton, Western Kentucky, Women's Volleyball
Alyssa Sianez, UTEP, Volleyball
Jonathan Tapia, UTSA, Baseball
Courtney Whitson, Middle Tennessee State, Basketball
Savannah Wheeler, Marshall, Women's Basketball
MAC
Name, Institution, Sport
Marcella Barberic, Buffalo, Women's Soccer
Rachel Bontrager, Western Michigan, Volleyball
Ian Cook, Eastern Michigan, Men's Track
Jacob Cover, Kent State, Wrestling
Emma Cunningham, Ball State, Cross Country/Track and Field
Fiona Fulling, NIU, Women's Soccer
Abigail Huser, Miami (OH), Volleyball
Hannah Potter, Central Michigan, Women's Lacrosse
Kayleigh Penton, Akron, Women's Soccer
Chris Redmon, Toledo, Football
Logan Stanley, Ohio, Wrestling
Madisyn McCoy, Bowling Green, Softball
Mountain West
Name, Institution, Sport
Chance Hofer, Wyoming, Football
Jacob Lopez, San Jose State, Men's Track and Field
Emily Maul, Fresno State, Equestrian
Kylie C. McNamara, Hawai'I, Soccer
Jenny Rogers, Utah State, Women's Track & Field
Spencer Samuel, San Diego State, Water Polo
Josien Wiijkhuijs, Nevada, Swimming
Pac 12
Name, Institution, Sport
Mina Marie Anglero, Cal, Track & Field and Cross Country
Julia Bingham, USC, Women’s Soccer
Ryan Jackson, Colorado, Men's Ski
Olivia Kearse-Thomas, Arizona State, Women's Soccer
Meghan McClure, Stanford, Women's Volleyball
Emma McCurry, Oregon State, Track & Field/Cross Country
Lauren McFall, UCLA, Track and Field
Izzy Pacho, Arizona, Softball
Sami Reynolds, Washington, Softball
Gabe Singer, Utah, Baseball
Peyton Teevens, WSU, Women's Track and Field
Ryan Walk, Oregon, Football
Southeastern Conference
Name, Institution, Sport
Bailey Bonnett, Kentucky, Women's Swimming
Kyle Brown, Auburn, Men's Track and Field
Cole Carson, Arkansas, Football
Makena Clark, Alabama, Rowing
Jack Flynn, Missouri, Wrestling
Ryann Helmers, Ole Miss, Women's Track and Field/ Cross Country
Carisma Holland, South Carolina, Track and Field
Kendyl Lindaman, Florida, Softball
Tjasa Pintar, Tennessee, Swimming
Logan Tanner, Mississippi State, Baseball
Lane Watkins, Georgia, Baseball
Sun Belt Conference
Name, Institution, Sport
Megan Adams, Arkansas State, Track & Field
Kayla Carson, Appalachian State, Track & Field
Esmeralda Fuentes, Texas State, Women's Track and Field
Tanner Guest, Troy, Women's Track & Field and Women's Cross Country
Eric Hawkins, Louisiana-Monroe, Men's Track and Cross Country
Madison Klintworth, Georgia Southern, Women's soccer
Kenrick Marks, Louisiana, Football
Matlin Marshall, Georgia State, Football
Cameron Stewart, South Alabama, Men's Track & Field
The CFP Foundation is the largest sports entity supporting K-12 educators in America. For more information about the CFP Foundation, visit cfp-foundation.org.
#CFPExtraYard
About the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers
The CFP Foundation is the community-engagement arm of the College Football Playoff, supporting education across the country. The CFP Foundation’s primary cause platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment, and professional development. The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes. To learn more, visit cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.
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