High school seniors are just a few months away from an exciting and expensive chapter in their lives as many of them head to college. Three Coachella Valley seniors and Chick-fil-A team members received the surprise of a lifetime when they came to work one Wednesday morning.

“I was very surprised because my sister was coming into town so I just thought we were going for a family breakfast,” said Jessica Ramirez, a Chick-fil-A Scholar and La Quinta High School senior. “When we came, Christian pulled Raymond and I aside, so I thought I was getting fired to be honest.”

They were selected for the Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship – a $2,500 grant to go toward their college tuition.

“It makes me really happy because I get to use that money to move my education (along) and I can use the experience I (gained) at Chick-fil-A in my future,” said Chizulu Uyamwune, a Chick-fil-A Scholar and College of the Desert student.

“It’s a big step stone for me as I plan on going to Grand Canyon University after I graduate to help me further my education in becoming a teacher,” said Ramirez.

“All 3 of our team members that received this scholarship are leaders in our restaurants,” said Christian McIntyre, Operations Director for Chick-fil-A Palm Desert. “These are some of our core team members that really help us to serve our guests and serve our guests well so we were very excited when we got the call that they received the scholarship.”

Unlike previous years, this year the popular fast food chain launched a scholarship for all students – Chick-fil-A team member or not.

“Chick-fil-A really values education in all shapes and forms and this year they debuted a new scholarship called Community Scholars,” said McIntyre.

Citlali Camacho, a student at College of the Desert, was named a finalist for the $25,000 scholarship and invited to do an interview in-person in Georgia – the home of Chick-fil-A.

“The thing is that they actually lied. They flew me out there to actually surprise me that I was selected as one of the winners,” said Camacho.

In addition to the $25,000, Camacho and 11 other winners also received brand new MacBook Air laptops.

“With this scholarship, I wouldn’t have to pay anything for my 4 years,” said Camacho. “I wouldn’t actually have to work so I can focus on just studying.”

Camacho says with the scholarship award, she can now accomplish her goal of going to an out of state school and eventually give back to her community.

“Coming from parents who immigrated here, immigration is really important to me so I would like to just do (the) best that I can to make policies and help those that come here to the United States to seek a better education or a better life for themselves and their families,” said Camacho.

The next round of Chick-fil-A scholarship applications opens this summer with awards ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. Scholarship opportunities are available for both team and non-Chick-fil-A team members. For more information, visit the link here.

Four Coachella Valley Students Receive Chick-fil-A Scholarships