Long Beach student wins Chick-Fil-A grant

A Chick-Fil-A employee was given a big surprise when he found out he had won something only he and a few others can say they received.

A Long Beach student just had his future shine even brighter after learning he was one of the twelve recipients for a Chick-Fil-A Scholarship Grant.

Today, he was given a party where he was able to celebrate with his friends, family, and coworkers.

Long Beach High School senior Christyan Bennett has been a part of the Gulfport Highway 49 Chick-Fil-A team for a long time showing off his leadership skills, positivity, and friendly service.

Just a few days ago, Bennett’s hard work and spirit was rewarded as he was one of just 12 employees across the nation to receive $25,000 as part of Chick-Fil-A’s Remarkable Futures Scholarship Program. “Honestly, I’m still processing what happened. I had no idea it was going to happen. I was just beyond shocked. It was just crazy.”

Bennett was brought to Atlanta for what he was told was a business trip. The next day, he and 11 others were surprised with an entire celebration dedicated to them and their accomplishments with each of them being award a $25,000 grant. “They introduced us all, and then there was this big surprise and they were like, ‘these are your $25,000 winners,’ and we were all just like in shock crying on stage all crazy you know.”

The Chick-Fil-A’s Remarkable Futures Scholarship is rewarding a total of $24 million in scholarships just this year.

The recipients of the money were selected through their personal stories showcasing obstacles they had to face to pursue their academic careers. Restaurant Marketing Director Amy Comstock said, “He started as a team member. He became a training coach. He was a wonderful training coach, and he is now one of our team leaders, which is in our management. He has just been a rising star.”

Today, Bennett came back to the Highway 49 Chick-Fil-A where his team threw a little party to celebrate his achievement.

Bennett says he plans to use these funds to further his education even more than he ever thought was possible. “This will help me get to college; kind of give me a push to graduate school where I will study pre-law.”

Another employee at the same location named Kai Hudson received a $2,500 scholarship grant from the program as well.