The Wendy’s High School Heisman Scholarship
Deadline October 3rd
The Wendy’s® High School Heisman® Scholarship was created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas in 1994. Dave Thomas dropped out of high school when he was 15 years old in order to work full-time and went on to become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. While this nontraditional path led to his prosperity, it always worried Dave that others would follow and expect to achieve similar fame and wealth by not finishing high school or attending college.
Thousands of students will be recognized for their accomplishments and receive certificates, medals, badges, and it begins at the high school level. Two students from every state (one male, one female) will be selected as state winners and receive a $1,000 scholarship. Eight national finalists will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship, and two national winners will each win a $10,000 scholarship. The first 1,000 students to successfully submit an application will receive a $10 Wendy’s gift card
Faced with this dilemma, at 61 years old, Dave enrolled at Coconut Creek High School in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and received his General Equivalency Diploma (GED). Inspired by this moment and with a desire to celebrate the outstanding achievements of youth in America, he launched the Wendy’s High School Heisman in partnership with the Heisman Trophy Trust, host and custodians of the Heisman Memorial Trophy®.
Twenty-two years later, Wendy’s has awarded nearly $2 Million to support education while honoring more than 600,000 of the nation’s most esteemed high school scholar-athletes who share Wendy’s values of giving back to their communities, treating people with respect, continuing education and excelling on the athletic field.