Karsen Ochs of First Presbyterian Day School and William McKinley Thompson III of Stratford Academy were named as the recipients of the four-year scholarship of $1000 per year by legendary Coach Vince Dooley on May 11, 2019 at a ceremony held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.  The two scholarship recipients will also each receive $500 to donate to the charitable organization of their choice.

More than 250 student-athletes and guests attended the event which featured inspirational messages from Coach Dooley and Executive Director of the Georgia High School Association Dr. Robin Hines.  All enjoyed refreshments compliments of The Chick-fil-A Foundation.  The Hudgens Family Foundation was once again the Presenting Sponsor for the annual event.  A free photo gallery is available online.

This year’s female recipient of our scholarship is Karsen Ochs of First Presbyterian Day School in Macon, Georgia.  She has a 4.0 grade point average while taking six Advanced Placement Classes and nine Honors Classes.  On the softball field where she was team Captain, she was the 2016 GHSA Pitcher of the Year and the 2018 Region 7 Player of the Year.  Her athletic and academic success earned her an athletic scholarship to the University of South Carolina.  Off the field, she created the charity campaign “Strike Out for Hunger” which is funded by friends, businesses, and donors from across the country.  Through this effort, she has raised more than $26,000 for the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank to fund over 130,000 meals.  Her motto is “Dream and believe.”

Our male scholarship recipient is William McKinley Thompson III of Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia who achieved a 4.21 grade point average while taking nine Advanced Placement Classes.  This four-sport athlete competed in football, soccer, basketball and track where he was the State High Jump Champion for two consecutive years.  Off the field, he completed more than 125 hour of community service hours in high school including becoming a coach and mentor to youth athletes.  He participated in multiple mission trips to Mexico, helping with construction and other services at an orphanage there.

The Scholarship Finalists were:

Girls

Boys