Four Deserving Recipients Receive Funding Towards Their Higher Education Goals
Phoenix, Arizona (July 14, 2022) – Leading hospitality company BWH Hotel Group® is proud to announce the recipients of the David and Louise Kong Legacy Scholarship, the first year these scholarships have been awarded. The BWH Hotel Group Board of Directors established the David and Louise Kong Legacy Scholarship fund to grant financial assistance to individuals associated with Best Western® Hotels & Resorts – member hoteliers or their children, hotel staff or their children, and corporate associates or their children – who are bettering themselves through higher education.
“BWH Hotel Group as an organization has always valued the importance of education and personal development,” said Larry Cuculic, President and Chief Executive Officer, BWH Hotel Group. “This year’s recipients are truly deserving of the scholarships, and we are proud to support our hoteliers, associates and their families in taking steps to achieve their academic, professional and personal goals.”
In its inaugural year of the scholarship program, BWH Hotel Group awarded $12,000 to four worthy recipients.
• Alexis Heichman, of Eagle, Idaho, will begin her college studies at Arizona State University this fall, where she will be studying journalism with the goal of one day being a travel, cultural or sports correspondent.
• Ashley Hernandez, of Patterson, California, will be continuing her studies on her path to earning a bachelor’s degree in hotel and hospitality management. Ashley is currently the general manager of the Best Western Plus Villa Del Lago Inn and plans to embark on a career in hospitality management upon graduation.
• Katerina Rose Levendi, of Phoenix, Arizona, is attending Paradise Valley Community College full time and studying business with the goal of becoming a human resources manager upon completion of her studies.
• Kayla McMahon, of Phoenix, Arizona, will begin her freshman year at Arizona State University this fall, where she will be studying business administration and management, as she explores her career interests in family law and business.
The scholarship application window opens in January of each year and up to ten individual scholarships will be awarded per year. The Arizona Community Foundation (ACF), which helps manage Best Western for a Better World®, serves as the third-party administrator for the fund. ACF manages the application and distribution process and provided the BWH Hotel Group Board of Directors with selection recommendations.
