NEWARK HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WINS COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FROM VERIZON WIRELESS AND UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND

Dale Alexander - Area Development Director, New York and New Jersey, United Negro College Fund. Award Winner Nicole Thompson
Pat Devlin - President, NY Metro Region, Verizon Wireless







Nicole Thompson awarded a $5,000 college scholarship, as well as Verizon Wireless products and gift cards

Verizon Wireless provides a total of $85,000 in college scholarships to contest winners throughout the Northeast

High school seniors entered the contest by submitting essays on the topic of how wireless technology has changed the world


ORANGEBURG, N.Y. – Verizon Wireless, provider of the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network, and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), today announced that Nicole Thompson from the Newark, New Jersey, is the first place winner of the Verizon Wireless/UNCF Black History Month Essay Contest. The contest, which required high school seniors to submit an essay of no more than 500 words on the topic of how wireless technology has changed the world in which we live, provides the winners with college scholarship money, as well as Verizon Wireless devices and gift cards.

Thompson’s winning essay focused on the ways wireless technology has advanced society, including the improvement of human safety, creating new means for donating money during emergency situations and enhancing the learning environment for students. For her achievement, Thompson won a $5,000 college scholarship, an HP Mini 311 Netbook, a DROID by Motorola smartphone and $2,250 in Verizon Wireless gift cards. Thompson is currently a senior at Malcolm X Shabazz High School and will attend The College of New Jersey in the fall.“The 21st century economy runs on technology,” said Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D., UNCF President and CEO. “It has changed the way we live and the way we work. Verizon Wireless’ support for the Verizon Wireless/UNCF Black History Month Essay Contest will help these aspiring young leaders get the education they need, and that our nation needs them to have, in order to compete in a global economy.”“We are proud of all the highly talented students who took the time to submit an essay for the Black History Month contest,” said Pat Devlin, president, Verizon Wireless, New York Metro Region. “Our winners demonstrated an advanced understanding of the role technology plays in our world and how its evolution will continue to shape the future. We’re honored to provide these students with scholarships and devices that will help them further their education at leading four-year colleges.”

UNCF reviewed all submissions and selected five winners in the New York Metro region. To qualify for the contest, students had to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0, plan to attend a four-year accredited college or university in the Fall of 2010, and reside in one of the following states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Washington, DC. This Black History Month Essay Contest is one of a variety of educational and diversity programs supported by Verizon Wireless. With a diverse workforce of over 81,000, Verizon Wireless drives workplace diversity by establishing programs to encourage the hiring and advancement of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds.