Albany State University (ASU) and the Georgia Lottery Corporation honored HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) and Zell Miller scholarship recipients during the Georgia Lottery Salutes HBCU and HOPE Scholars Luncheon held during the week of spring 2023 graduation.
The luncheon recognized the accomplishments of ASU scholarship recipients, which included members of the spring 2023 graduating class, as they cherished their time at the institution and prepared for matriculation. The scholars participated in drawings for various prizes and were provided honor cords to wear during their commencement ceremony.

ASU students, MaKya Daniels and Garrett Anderson were also presented the Zell Miller Scholarship Awards for maintaining the scholarship throughout their educational careers at the institution.

As the Georgia Lottery also celebrates its 30th anniversary, Gretchen Corbin, CEO and President of the Georgia Lottery Corporation, reflected on the impact that the corporation continues to make under its primary mission of raising funds for the HOPE scholarship and PreK programs. “Since the Georgia Lottery’s inception in 1993, more than $14 billion in lottery proceeds has been appropriated for more than 2.1 million HOPE recipients. This includes 12,051 Albany State students that earned HOPE during this period. Georgia’s future is bright, as HOPE continues to positively impact the lives of students, families and their communities throughout the state. Congratulations and best wishes to all our ASU HOPE graduates and students.”

As an instrumental co-sponsor of the historic legislation that created the HOPE scholarship program, Former Georgia State Representative, Calvin Smyer co-hosted the event. Rep. Smyer said, “It was an honor to co-host such a milestone event for the Georgia Lottery Corporation and recipients of the HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships. Higher education is the key to Georgia’s workforce development. Congratulations to the recent graduates as they enter a new stage in their lives.”

The merit-based HOPE scholarship program was created to provide a portion of tuition assistance to attend eligible Georgia colleges, universities, and technical colleges. The merit-based Zell Miller scholarship was created to provide tuition assistance for Georgia high school students with a minimum 3.7 grade point average and a combined score of 1200 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT.

For more information on current eligibility requirements for the current HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships, click here.