Play video
FRISCO, Texas, Dec. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Dr Pepper® has announced the student winners of the 15th annual Dr Pepper® Tuition Giveaway who were awarded money for tuition during the College Football Conference Championship games last weekend. On Friday, December 1st, and Saturday, December 2nd, the student finalists descended onto the field at halftime during the ACC, Big 12, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-12 conference games, competing to see who can throw the most number of footballs into an oversized Dr Pepper® can in 30 seconds. Dr Pepper®, which has awarded over $17.5 million to support students' educational goals in the last 15 years, gave $730,000 in tuition over the course of the weekend including $100,000 to each of the winners in the five conference championship game tosses.
“The Dr Pepper® Tuition Giveaway program is a beloved tradition within our team and we are excited to be back on the field for another NCAA college football season,” said John Alvarado, VP of Dr Pepper® Brand Marketing. "This year’s winners are an incredibly driven group of students with a bright future ahead, and it is our honor to support them in their educational aspirations.”
Grand prize winners and runners-up include:
ACC
- Winner: Noah C., University of California Los Angeles
- Runner-up: Grace P., New York University
Big 12
- Winners: Gavin W., The Ohio State University and Ryan G., University of Pennsylvania
SEC
- Winner: Andrew J., Sandhills Community College
- Runner-up: Anita W., University of San Francisco
Big Ten
- Winner: Siddharth S., Georgia Institute of Technology
- Runner-up: Darcy W., Temple University
Pac-12
- Winner: Mohamed A., Stony Brook University
- Runner-up: Jeremiah J.,University of Florida
"Winning the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway is a huge moment for me," said Ryan. G. a Economics major at University of Pennsylvania. "This tuition is going to help me pursue my long term goals of becoming an entrepreneur and to make changes in today’s society. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and the amazing experience of being here for the weekend.”
In the entry submissions, students were asked to explain why they deserve tuition, how it would impact their lives, and how it would help them achieve their personal and professional goals. In his submission, Big Ten Championship winner Siddharth S., shared how he is studying towards earning his degree in Aerospace Engineering. “Winning $100,000 from Dr Pepper during this year’s Tuition Toss is absolutely huge for me in my pursuit of my goals of creating a more sustainable future for aircrafts. As the first in my family to attend university in the United States, I am super grateful that this tuition will allow me to continue my educational pursuits.”
At the Big 12 Conference championship game, Gavin W. and Ryan G. competed in a thrilling double tie breaker. A scoring issue on the field led to an inaccurate reading of the double OT and as a result Dr Pepper awarded both participants $100,000 in tuition. In the aftermath of the surprise announcement, Gavin W. shared, “They brought us up here to the top deck of the stadium and said they had an announcement to make. They gave us both $100,000 in scholarships, which was unreal! This completely pays for all of school right here. Thank you, Dr Pepper!”
Visit www.drpepper.com/tuition/ to learn more and join the conversation by following @DrPepper on Instagram.
About Dr Pepper®
Dr Pepper®, a brand of Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc. (KDP), is the oldest major soft drink in the United States. Since 1885, the 23 flavors of Dr Pepper® have earned legions of fans that enjoy its unique, refreshing taste. The brand is available in Regular, Diet, Caffeine Free, Cherry, Zero Sugar, Cream Soda, and Strawberries & Cream varieties. For more information, visit DrPepper.com or keurigdrpepper.com. For the brand's latest news and updates, follow Dr Pepper® at Facebook.com/DrPepper, Instagram.com/DrPepper or Twitter.com/DrPepper.
About Keurig Dr Pepper
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) is a leading beverage company in North America, with annual revenue of more than $14 billion and approximately 28,000 employees. KDP holds leadership positions in liquid refreshment beverages, including soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, water, juice and juice drinks and mixers, and markets the #1 single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and Canada. The Company's portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands is designed to satisfy virtually any consumer need, any time, and includes Keurig®, Dr Pepper®, Canada Dry®, Clamato®, CORE®, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®, Mott's®, Snapple®, and The Original Donut Shop®. Through its powerful sales and distribution network, KDP can deliver its portfolio of hot and cold beverages to nearly every point of purchase for consumers. The Company's Drink Well. Do Good. corporate responsibility platform is focused on the greatest opportunities for impact in the environment, its supply chain, the health and well-being of consumers and with its people and communities. For more information, visit www.keurigdrpepper.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTENT SERVICES/DR PEPPER - NONE - FREE USE
Arlington, TX, USA - 02 December 2023
1. Ryan & Gavin walking
2. Ryan Georgian contestant SOT: Back in September, I decided to submit a video about my career goals and what I hope to do with the money.
3. Gavin White contestant SOT: A minute long video just kind of talking about what I'm doing in school, what I hope to do for a career, what a scholarship like this would mean.
4. Group photos
5. Ryan Georgian contestant SOT: Just one afternoon I received a call from Dr Pepper and they told me the great news and I was freaking out like I couldn’t believe. It ended up being the entire Dr Pepper team, saying hey we’re going to send you to the Big 12 championship in Dallas,
6. Gavin with Dad
7. Girl on sidelines
8. Girl and her mom waving SOT: Dr Pepper
9. Gavin White contestant SOT: I decided to answer the promotion because, I mean, I mean, the scholarship means everything. It means being able to help pay for existing loans and then the remainder of my undergrad degree, I mean, that is a very large amount in today's world. And this scholarship does not really cover a lot of that.
10. Sitting/standing in stadium seats
11. Ryan and Gavin walking
12. Ryan Georgian contestant SOT: If I were to receive the money, I would focus on my goals to become a social entrepreneur. In this world today we have a lot of nonprofits doing a lot, but I feel like social enterprise is what we really need.
13. Ryan and Gavin looking at footballs
14. Dr Pepper target can
15. Ryan and Gavin holding footballs
16. Gavin White contestant SOT: Dr Pepper has been amazing.I mean, they've really treated me like a VIP. It's been a really cool experience. I mean, just everyone on the staff has been so much fun to work with. As a college football fan, addict I mean, this is absolutely amazing.
17. Footballs in cans
18. Gavin White contestant SOT: I'm stoked to be here. This is awesome.
19. Ryan and Gavin in contest throwing footballs
20. Ryan Georgian contestant SOT: If you're thinking about entering, I say go for it. You know, you got to express yourself, your dreams, your hopes. I'm just so thankful to Dr Pepper because of this amazing weekend. I mean, everyone just start off with so kind to me and I know a lot of effort went into this event, but between the on the scenes and the behind the scenes and I just want to thank them for giving me this opportunity.
21. Brad SOT with Ryan and Gavin: All right, let's go. So on behalf of everyone, at Dr Pepper Ryan, I want to say congratulationsfor winning $100,000 in tuition down on the field today for the Dr Pepper tuition giveaway. And I also want to say to Gavin, due to a technical error in the counting during the first tiebreaker, Gavin, we are going to award you with $100,000 in tuition as well. So we have two $100,000 Dr Pepper tuition winners here at the Big 12 game this year.
22. Gavin White contestant SOT: They just brought us up here to the top deck of the stadium. So they had an announcement to make and they're going to give us both $100,000 scholarships, which is unreal.
23. Ryan and Gavin hug
24. Gavin White contestant SOT: Oh, my gosh. So I'm in shock right now. I'm still trying to take it all in. That completely pays for all of school right there. I mean, that is this is unbelievable. Thank you, Dr Pepper.
25. Ryan and Gavin and Brad smiling.
4 December 2023
