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Before Haein Cho and Amanda McCartney stepped foot in their college dorm rooms, they were surprised and excited to learn they were the recipients of the 2020 Chartwells Scholarship.

The scholarship is presented to Troup County School System (TCSS) graduating seniors who are pursuing careers in nutrition, food or hospitality management, culinary arts or a business-related subject. TCSS announced the award via a press release Thursday.

Each student received a $5,000 award.

Haein Cho, a Callaway High graduate, is studying biology at Mercer University.

“Receiving this scholarship means a lot to me because it affords me the opportunity to go to the college of my choice,” Cho said in a press release from TCSS. “With Mercer being a private school, I wouldn’t be able to attend without this scholarship.”

Amanda McCartney, a Troup High School graduate, is majoring in fashion merchandising while attending the University of Georgia.

“This scholarship means so much because I won’t have to take out a lot of student loans to attend college,” McCartney said. “It will allow me to do many more things that I need to do for college.”

Chartwells serve more than 2 million meals a day to K-12 students across the country.

According to its website, Chartwells goal is to make sure students leave the cafeteria happier and healthier than they came in, by serving food kids love to eat and creating custom dining programs.

“It’s all about the development of students,” said Mark Dingee, Chartwells Resident District Manager for TCSS. “We’re happy to see the results of their education and how they can further their education with the help of these scholarships. For example, we found out one of our previous scholarship winners was on the Presidential Academic List for his university. It’s good to see how far our students can go.”