Frisco-based Dr Pepper granted a total of $730,000 in tuition during the College Football Conference Championship last weekend. The company contributed over $17.5 million to support students' educational pursuits in the past 15 years.
The student finalists participated in a halftime event during the ACC, Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 conference games on Friday, Dec. 1, and Saturday, Dec. 2nd. Each winner of the five conference championship game tosses received $100,000 towards their educational goals. The challenge: to see who can throw the most footballs into an oversized Dr Pepper can in 30 seconds.
In their entry submissions, students were required to articulate the reasons they believe they merit tuition, explain the potential impact it would have on their lives and describe how it would contribute to the realization of their personal and professional aspirations.
Siddharth S., the victorious participant in the Big Ten Championship, detailed in his submission the pursuit of his degree in Aerospace Engineering and how the awarded tuition would support his academic journey.
"Winning $100,000 from Dr Pepper during this year's Tuition Toss is absolutely huge for me in my pursuit of my goals of creating a more sustainable future for aircrafts,” Siddharth said. “As the first in my family to attend university in the United States, I am super grateful that this tuition will allow me to continue my educational pursuits."
But during the Big 12 Conference championship in Arlington, a scoring discrepancy on the field led to an incorrect interpretation of the double overtime, prompting Dr Pepper to grant both Gavin W. and Ryan G. $100,000 each in tuition.
"They brought us up here to the top deck of the stadium and said they had an announcement to make,” Gavin said. “They gave us both $100,000 in scholarships, which was unreal. This completely pays for all of school right here.”
Other winners include:
- Noah C., University of California Los Angeles
- Andrew J., Sandhills Community College
- Mohamed A., Stony Brook University
"The Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway program is a beloved tradition within our team and we are excited to be back on the field for another NCAA college football season," said VP of Dr Pepper Brand Marketing John Alvarado. "This year's winners are an incredibly driven group of students with a bright future ahead, and it is our honor to support them in their educational aspirations.”
