Brianna Purnell, a student at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus, has been named a 2019 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. She is the only student in Mississippi selected to receive the scholarship.

This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate degree-granting institutions who plan to enter the workforce upon the completion of a degree or certificate on a national scale. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa.

Purnell of Gautier is a sophomore in the 3D Modeling and Design program.  She was selected based on her academic accomplishments, leadership, activities and how she extends her intellectual talents beyond the classroom. More than 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country, with only 50 students receiving the award.

The New Century Workforce Pathway Scholars will be recognized during the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Congress in San Francisco, California, in October 2019.