WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Comcast today announced that it has awarded almost a quarter of a million dollars in scholarships for the 2017-18 school year to 236 Florida students as part of its annual Leaders and Achievers^® Scholarship Program. The program, funded by the Comcast Foundation, recognizes the best and brightest high school seniors for their community service, academic performance and leadership skills.

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Duval County Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship recipients are recognized during a special ceremony at the Jacksonville City Council meeting on May 23, 2017. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Our Leaders and Achievers Scholarship winners across Florida exemplify leadership and are committed to academic excellence and improving their cities and towns through community service,” said Derek Cooper, Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs and Community Investment for the Comcast Florida Region. “We are honored to recognize their achievements and excited to support them in the next step on their educational journeys as they continue to develop into tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.”

Across Florida, 233 high school seniors received $1,000 scholarships. Three students were selected to receive $5,000 Comcast Founders Scholarships - instituted in honor of the late Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation:

• David Boone of Port Saint Lucie, who attends Lincoln Park Academy, St. Lucie Public Schools
• Edwin Ross of Lake Worth, who attends Santaluces Community High School, School District of Palm Beach County
• Brandon Newhouse of Lehigh Acres, who attends Lehigh Senior High School, Lee County Public Schools

Across the state, Comcast has collaborated with local school boards and elected officials to recognize these students and their great achievements, including a special recognition ceremony for the Duval County Leaders and Achievers Scholarship recipients at the Jacksonville City Council meeting on May 23.

In total, Comcast awarded $248,000 worth of scholarships in Florida this year. That includes $42,000 in scholarships to students in the state’s largest school district, Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

“Congratulations to these dedicated and deserving students whose accomplishments merit recognition through the Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship program,” said Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools Alberto M. Carvalho. “Thank you to Comcast for your investment in our students and their future.”

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program provides scholarships to students who strive to achieve their full potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to prepare for the future and to engage them in their communities. The program also demonstrates the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

This year, the program will award more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 students across the country to help them pursue higher education. Visit here to learn more.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

About the Comcast Foundation

The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities—expanding digital literacy, promoting service, and building tomorrow’s leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $195 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/community.

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