Dallas fast‑food worker gets surprise support after putting college dreams on hold
EDITOR'S NOTE: Life-changing moments happen all the time, but there's not always a camera around to record them. This morning, there was one – when CBS News Texas captured a surprise gift for a hardworking fast-food employee who feared she might have to give up on her dreams.
=====
Taniyah Lucky had just started her day at the KFC on Samuel Boulevard in Dallas, where she's worked off and on since she was a teenager.
"I love the company, I love the people, I love the environment," she said.
Lucky has long aspired to become a lawyer, but the cost of college forced her to step away from school last fall and work full-time.
"It didn't make me feel good, but I knew that I couldn't give up," she said.
She and other employees believed they had been called in for a routine team meeting. Instead, it was a celebration.
KFC Foundation awards $5,000 scholarship
The KFC Foundation surprised Lucky with a $5,000 scholarship – one of 300 awarded nationwide this year as part of a $2 million program supporting employees pursuing education.
"I feel good, surprised, and for the first time speechless," she said.
"She works very hard, and she's very dedicated," said area coach Kok Ng.
The foundation has awarded $25 million in scholarships since 2012, according to KFC CEO Scott Mezvinsky, who said the program reflects the values of the company's founder.
"The colonel believed in leaving no one behind, and so I'm proud that 74 years later we continue to provide opportunities for our folks to get an education and make sure we give opportunities to everybody," Mezvinsky said.
A second chance at college
Lucky earned the scholarship after writing an essay about leaving college despite doing well academically.
"Every day I regret leaving college because it wasn't hard, I was passing every class," she wrote.
She plans to continue working and re-enroll at Dallas College in the fall.
"The life struggles and the struggles that I've seen other people go through, my family goes through, my parents go through, so that was a push for me to keep going and never give up," she said.
