The Tuskegee Airmen Inc., in
partnership with Pratt & Whitney, has awarded Joshua S.
Cunningham of Columbia, South Carolina, the 2006 Golden Eagle
Scholarship. The four-year, $20,000 award recognizes a high school
senior who has demonstrated an aptitude for aerospace technology
and aviation.
Pratt & Whitney will fully fund the scholarship. The Golden
Eagle Scholarship is the largest single endowment of the Tuskegee
Airmen Scholarship Fund. Under the terms of the scholarship, Joshua
will receive $5,000 each year for four years. He was presented with
his award during the Youth Luncheon at the Tuskegee Airmen
Convention in Phoenix, Ariz., on Aug. 3, 2006.
"Joshua Cunningham, the 2006 Pratt & Whitney Golden Eagle
Scholarship recipient, has demonstrated superior academic
achievements and meaningful community involvement; he is determined
to focus on career goals that will set him apart from the others,"
said Jerry Hodges, chairman of the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship
Fund. "Joshua is an individual who will succeed in any endeavor
that he attempts. The Tuskegee Airmen and Pratt & Whitney are
fortunate to become partners in the further development of this
talented scholar."
Joshua is a graduate of Dreher High School in Columbia, S.C.,
and a member of the National Honor Society. As a cadet in the Civil
Air Patrol, he achieved the highest rank of Cadet Commander of the
Columbia Composite Squadron and Company Commander of the Dreher
Blue Devil Company in the Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training
Corp.
"Do the best you can, that's all that is expected. Set your own
goals and determine your success. These two quotes are words of
wisdom instilled in me by my uncle Johnny Walker, my mom Fredia
Cunningham, and my family," said Joshua. He plans to study
electrical engineering at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.
Earl Exum, Global Repair Services sales director, presented the
scholarship on behalf of Pratt & Whitney. "I was pleased to
represent our company's passion for education -- a passion that I
share. I know first hand the impact that scholarships have and the
options they create for aspiring students," he said. Exum will also
serve as Joshua's mentor during his college career.
Joshua has received numerous awards in recognition of his
academic and community leadership, including the Marine Corps
League Leadership Award, the Stephen Decatur Award, Columbia
Composite Distinguished Cadet of the Year, the Billy Mitchell
Award, the Amelia Earhart Award, and the Ira C. Eaker Civil Air
Patrol Award. Joshua was also a Richland District One High School
Scholar and Academic All-Star. His interests reach beyond
academics. He volunteers by tutoring children in mathematics,
boxing food for the sick, visiting a nursing home to read
scriptures and sing, cleaning up for "adopt-a-street", computer
education tutoring at church, and training teenage leaders in Civil
Air Patrol camps and activities.