Seventeen Local Students Receive Over $65,000 in Scholarships from Ashby Ponds

(Ashburn, Va.) - On Sunday, July 13, seventeen area students were honored with scholarships toward higher education from Ashby Ponds retirement community.  The recipients, who work for the community's dining services department, will receive up to $4000 (or up to $500 per semester) in scholarships paid directly to the college or trade school of the student's choice.  This year, three local college students and fourteen 2014 Loudoun County high school graduates were recognized as scholarship recipients.  Funds for the scholarship program were donated by residents and staff at the community. 
At Ashby Ponds, there are nearly 100 high school and college students from Loudoun County and Fairfax County who work for the community's dining services department.  The students work in a variety of capacities including as servers, restaurant assistants, utility workers, and service coaches.  The students may be eligible for scholarships from the community by satisfying a number of requirements, including:

• working at least 1000 hours during the junior/senior years of high school or senior year of high school/first year of college;
• having no adverse disciplinary actions on record;
• having at least a "C" average;
• and completing all application materials. 

Andrea Mercedes has been a server at Ashby Ponds for two years and is one of this years' scholarship recipients.  "What I love about coming to Ashby Ponds every day is seeing the friendships and diversity throughout the staff," said Mercedes.  In the fall, she will begin her second year at Northern Virginia Community College.  "I have no doubt that this scholarship will help tremendously in affording my studies," said Mercedes.
The scholarship program at Ashby Ponds was initiated in 2010 and since then, more than sixty students have now received scholarships from the community.  This year, funds for the scholarships were raised from several community events at Ashby Ponds including a fashion show, a car wash, and the annual Duck Derby held in April.
The 2014 Ashby Ponds scholarship recipients are:

About Ashby Ponds: Ashby Ponds, one of 17 retirement communities managed by Erickson Living, is situated on a scenic 132-acre campus in Ashburn, Virginia (approximately 30 miles west of Washington, D.C.). The community is home to over 725 residents and has over 120 resident-run and resident-driven clubs and groups, an indoor pool, a fitness club, transportation services, 24-hour security, and flexible dining options. More information about Ashby Ponds can be found at www.ericksonliving.com.