TCC STUDENT $1,000 SCHOLARSHIP VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - (August 5, 2003) - Jessica Leigh Watson, a Tidewater Community College (TCC) student from Virginia Beach, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. Watson is currently enrolled at TCC's Virginia Beach campus pursuing a Social Science degree.

Through the Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program, the Foundation awards a total of 400 scholarships annually to students attending higher-education institutions granting two-year degrees. All recipients must demonstrate academic achievement and complete 100 hours of community service within the past 12 months.

Watson fulfilled her community service requirements at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Virginia Beach. After completing her two-year degree at TCC, Watson plans to enroll at Old Dominion University to pursue a degree in Political Science and International Relations.

" The Coca-Cola Two-Year Colleges Scholarship Program gives support and encouragement to an under-served population of college students," says J. Mark Davis, president of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. The program is made possible with funding from the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation. The late Joseph B. Whitehead was one of the original Coca-Cola bottlers.

The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation was created in 1986 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola and to establish a legacy for future leaders. The Foundation has provided more than $1.6 million in scholarship awards to students attending institutions granting two-year degrees and more than $23 million in the Coca-Cola Scholars program since its inception. For more information, visit < http://www.coca-colascholars.org/> www.coca-colascholars.org.

Tidewater Community College (TCC) is the second largest of the 23 community colleges in the Commonwealth of Virginia, enrolling more than 34,000 students annually. It is the 37th largest in the nation's 1,600 community college network and among the 50 fastest growing large community colleges. Founded in 1958 as a part of the Virginia Community College System, the college serves the South Hampton Roads region with campuses in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, the TCC Jeanne and George Roper Performing Arts Center in the theater district in downtown Norfolk, and a regional Advanced Technology Center in Virginia Beach. Forty-three percent of the region's residents attending a college or university in Virginia last fall were enrolled at TCC. For more information, visit www.tcc.edu.

CONTACT:
Kate Behnke
Marketing/Creative Services
PHONE: 757-822-1076
E-MAIL: KBehnke@tcc.edu