Local Students Receive Scholarships from Crofton Business

Earlier this month, Crofton-based technology company awarded three county students with $4,000 college scholarships—two from Glen Burnie schools.

Erika Heffernan from and Chakiera Shields from received the scholarships based on their academic achievements, community service and educational goals, according to a press release from Force 3. Alexis Jeter of also received a $4,000 scholarship.

According to the release, the scholarship was created to help those who need it most and are the most deserving and is offered to Anne Arundel County high school students who plan to attend an accredited college and pursue a technical degree.

According to the release:

Heffernan will be attending UMBC where she hopes to study in the field of engineering and computer science. During high school, Heffernan played varsity soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and also tutored in algebra, accounting, and geometry.

Shields will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she will major in Computer Science. While attending high school, Shields was a member of Math Team, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honors Society, Varsity Track and Field, and the Student Government Association. She also had temporary office positions with the National Security Agency and Defense Information Systems Agency.

In order to apply, students had to write an essay describing their educational and career goals and how they planned to meet them, as well as their participation in community service.

“Erika, Chakiera and Alexis all have great potential to make big contributions in the technology and engineering sectors,” Vice Chairman and Co-Founder Jim Bird said in the release. “We’re excited to help them further their educations and we look forward to seeing them succeed in their professional careers.”

This is the sixth year that Force 3 awarded college scholarships, giving out a total of 15 scholarships so far, according to the release.