CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — 2021 Clarion Area School District alumni Ava Carmelina Cherico was recently selected for one of the 100 scholarships from Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar.
(Pictured above: Clarion Applebee’s Manager Darlene Glasser and Ava Carmelina Cherico.)
Ava, along with another Applebee employee from the Butler area, were the only two selected in the state of Pennsylvania. Ava is the daughter of Fred and Kim Cherico and the middle child between two brothers, Nick and Luca. She is the granddaughter of Jim and Sandy Albaugh and the late Joe and Ann Cherico.
Applebee’s franchise awarded Ava Cherico the Bill Palmer Legacy $5,000 Scholarship based on her academic record, school participation, leadership demonstration, community activities, future career goals and objectives, and an online recommendation from her store managers.
Clarion Applebee’s Manager Darlene Glasser and Assistant Manager Justin Winchester encouraged Ava to go for the scholarship, as her older brother also won the same scholarship a year prior. Justin, known to all their employees as “Shotty” wrote the online recommendation letter. Ava kept the entire application process from her family, and needless to say, her family was surprised and very thrilled when they found out she won the same scholarship as her brother Nick.
Ava started working part-time at Clarion Applebee’s in 2021 and continues to work there over the summer and winter college breaks, as well as their new family business, Clarion Modern Markets. Ava attends the University of Pittsburgh Main Campus, majoring in Communication Science and Disorders and minoring in Secondary Education. Ava’s working very diligently to become a future doctor, a career path to becoming an audiologist.
About the Bill Palmer Legacy Scholarship
During the November 2021 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar annual franchise conference, President John Cywinski announced the Bill Palmer Legacy Scholarship launch in honor of Applebee’s late founder, Bill Palmer.
The new scholarship program aims to award 100 scholarships annually to current Applebee restaurant team members and their children.
