INDEPENDENCE, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Comcast announced it has awarded $16,000 in scholarships for the 2017-18 school year to 12 suburban Kansas City area 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.

“Our Leaders and Achievers scholarship winners exemplify leadership and are committed to academic excellence and community service,” said Ron Orlando, vice president, Comcast External Affairs. “We are honored to recognize their achievements and excited to support them as they continue their educational journeys.”

A number of state legislators from Missouri and Kansas, as well as local civic and education officials, joined Comcast in recognizing the students at a special reception held Wednesday, June 14. Eleven recipients each received a $1,000 Leaders & Achievers Scholarship award; in addition, Jordan Atkins, a graduate of Raytown High School, was awarded a $5,000 Comcast Founders scholarship, named in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation. A full listing of Kansas City area honorees is below.

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers 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.

2017 Kansas City Area Leaders & Achievers Scholarship Recipients

INDEPENDENCE

• Zoey Gard, Sr.; graduated Center Place Restoration School, Independence, Mo.; attending Blue River Community College, Independence, Mo.
• Joshua Merithew; graduated Ft. Osage High School; attending Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kan.
• Chloe Miller; graduated Truman High School; attending Truman University, Kirksville, Mo.

LEE’S SUMMIT

• Kadie Clark; graduated Blue Springs South High School; attending Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
• Kaitlyn Hilbert; graduated Lee’s Summit North High School; attending University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Mo.
• Paige Maxwell; graduated Lee’s Summit High School; attending Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.

OAK GROVE

• Mac Dumsky; graduated Oak Grove High School; attending University of Missouri, Kansas City

PECULIAR

• Matthew Argotsinger; graduated Raymore – Peculiar High School; attending University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Mo.

RAYTOWN

• Jordan Atkins; graduated Raytown High School; attending Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Okla.

OLATHE

• Cole Brabec; graduated Olathe Northwest High School; attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
• Alexis McCalla; graduated Olathe North High School; attending Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Hayley Nitz; graduated Olathe South High School; attending Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

About Comcast

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. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the XFINITY brand. 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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