SEC announces Dr. Pepper Education Abroad awards

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Twenty-eight students (two from from each Southeastern Conference university) will study abroad during the 2015-16 academic year, the result of a contribution to the league by Dr Pepper. The longtime SEC corporate sponsor allocated $100,000 to the conference to provide study abroad opportunities for high achieving SEC students with demonstrated financial need who represent non-traditional study abroad participants.

"We are enthused to expand upon the SEC's commitment to education by giving deserving students a chance to study abroad through the SECU academic initiative," Jaxie Alt, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Dr Pepper said when the program was established. "Dr Pepper has continued to fund one-of-a-kind dreams since 2008 through our tuition giveaway program, and now we are able to support the great work the SEC is doing."

Each SEC university identified two students to participate in a faculty-led program occurring during either the summer, fall or spring terms. Funds will also be provided to selected students for the 2016-17 academic year.

"Increasing the amount and type of education abroad opportunities available to SEC students has been an SECU goal for more than a decade," said Torie Johnson, Executive Director of the SECU Academic Initiative. "It's exciting to know that thanks to Dr Pepper's generosity, more SEC students than ever will have a life-changing experience in another part of the world."

SECU was established in 2005 as the SEC Academic Consortium, and one of its original focal points was education abroad. In response, the consortium secured an Institute for Study Abroad Foundation grant to provide scholarships for SEC students to study at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland. In addition, by utilizing a cooperative agreement, students from SEC universities now have access to programs offered at other SEC universities. Finally, the SEC also has a partnership with the Politecnico di Torino which gives SEC engineering students the opportunity to study in Torino, Italy, each spring.

Students who won the award are listed below.

Brittany Groves, University of Alabama
Joshua Harvey, University of Alabama
Britney Washington, University of Arkansas
Tevin Whitney, University of Arkansas
Isabella Premont, Auburn University
James Sims, Auburn University
Pearl Hanna, University of Florida
Claudia Lievano, University of Florida
Aaron Kask, University of Georgia
Attiyya Skeete, University of Georgia
Adam Creamer, University of Kentucky
Rockia Harris, University of Kentucky
Jaude' Petrie, Louisiana State University
Nelson Williams, Louisiana State University
Kenedi Hobson, University of Mississippi
Austin Powell, University of Mississippi
Brandon Baxter, Mississippi State University
Karissa Logan, Mississippi State University
Stevie Winingear, University of Missouri
Kenny Yang, University of Missouri
Sidney Cutter, University of South Carolina
Harrison Howell, University of South Carolina
William Burks, University of Tennessee
Nichole Stevens, University of Tennessee
Mitchell Parma, Texas A&M University
Kayla Villarreal, Texas A&M University
Jason Miller, Vanderbilt University
Hannah Stack, Vanderbilt University