VALLEY FORGE, PA – Good Neighbor Pharmacy, a national independent pharmacy network and a part of AmerisourceBergen, has awarded college scholarships to seven high school seniors looking to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. Eighteen pharmacies from Virginia and seventeen from North Carolina participated in the grant program.

Among the recipients was Jharnell Cofield of Bertie STEM High School. She along with the other six scholarship winners will receive $1,000. Cofield was nominated by Pittman’s Pharmacy in Windsor. “Good Neighbor Pharmacy’s scholarship program exemplifies our commitment to fostering the next generation of pharmacists and healthcare leaders,” said Brian Nightengale, RPh, Ph.D., president, Good Neighbor Pharmacy.

“Independent pharmacists play a critical role in delivering high-quality and accessible healthcare. Our scholarship program provides them with another opportunity to support their community and its local high school students in their higher education. We hope these scholarship recipients will leverage their educational experience to contribute to and advance our evolving healthcare field,” he added.

The 2016 winners were selected from a total of 76 applicants. While there were many strong candidates, the winners were chosen by the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Scholarship Committee, who reviewed essays about improving health in local communities and the academic and extracurricular achievements of the applicants.

Virginia independent pharmacies began their scholarship program more than 25 years ago and have given away over $200,000 to deserving students. North Carolina independent pharmacies began offering scholarships seven years ago and have awarded over $25,000.