ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Many of the current leaders of the convenience store industry got their start at the store level. Through hard work and commitment to learning, these individuals followed the career paths of the industry to positions of senior leadership.

The NACS Scholarship Program in Memory of Jim Yates and in Memory of David Erickson assists developing retail leaders by providing them with $3,000 for costs of undergraduate career education, as well as attendance to the NACS Show. Since its founding in 1998, the program has awarded 95 scholarships totaling $288,000.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be current full- or part-time employees of a NACS retail member company. Students must also be enrolled for the fall 2012 semester at any accredited two- or four-year college, university or technical institution, and continue to be enrolled for the entire year.

The deadline to submit applications for the 2012 NACS Scholarship is Friday, June 1. Read more about the NACS Scholarship Program and download an application packet. Companies may nominate multiple applicants for scholarships. Award winners will be notified by the end of June.

For additional information about applying for the NACS Scholarship Program, contact NACS Programming and Education Manager Jenn Makarsky.