Pictured from L to R: Jennifer He (Walton), Timy Dang (Sprayberry), Ella Jeffres (Pope), Margie Hatfield, Julia Randall (Lassiter) and Andrew Herrera (Kell).

Micheal Garza submitted the following news release:

The East Cobb County Council of PTAs (ECCC PTA) named its 2024 recipients of the Margie Hatfield Scholarship at its general meeting at Kell High School in April.

Hatfield is a former ECCC PTA president, and the ECCC PTA scholarship was named on her behalf due to her diligent work and tireless commitment to the students of East Cobb.

Every year, ECCC PTA offers a $1,000 service-based scholarship to deserving seniors at each of the six high schools in the East Cobb area. Each recipient has worked hard to be successful, not just in their scholastic endeavors, but also by giving back to the community through their service and their time.

Selected from 30 applicants across five schools, the scholarship recipients are:

Andrew Herrera, Kell High School, who will attend Kennesaw State University to study Mechanical Engineering. When Andrew isn’t winning BMX races, he can be found maintaining the local BMX track, being a role model to the next generation of young racers, and volunteering at food drives for veterans.

Julia Randall, Lassiter High School, who will study Accounting at University of Georgia. Guided by the Maya Angelou quote, “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud,”, Julia has been that rainbow for her peers in starting The Joy Mission Club that supports students in the community grieving the loss of a loved one. 

Ella Jeffres, Pope High School, who will attend Georgia Tech where she will study History, Technology, and Society. Ella’s passion for making the world a better place knows no bounds, as she has organized meals for families dealing with food insecurity and provided hygiene care packages for the homeless.

Timy Dang, Sprayberry High School, who will study Marketing at Georgia State University. Timy’s commitment to acts of service is drawn from his Vietnamese American culture that thrives on community and includes painting murals with pop culture references that will adorn the halls of Sprayberry for years to come.

Jennifer He, Walton High School, who will attend Princeton University to study Operations Research Financial Engineering. Through her work distributing school supplies to the homeless, Jennifer hopes to humanize their experience and build relationships with kids to inspire their academic growth regardless of income barriers.

As the largest council within the state of Georgia, the East Cobb County Council of PTAs promotes the academic achievement and well-being of all students within the 35 schools within East Cobb.

Article written by Micheal Garza, Scholarship Chair, East Cobb County Council of PTAs

Micheal is the Scholarship Chair of the East Cobb County Council of PTAs as well as the Co-President of the Keheley Elementary PTA.