Like every other senior in the state, Alessandro Cava’s final year of high school at Notre Dame didn’t end the way he thought it would because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

However, the virus hasn’t prevented him from preparing for college.

 

Monday was the first day on the job for Cava at the New Pointe McDonald’s. It wasn’t just a day of work though, as he is participating in the Archways to Opportunity scholarship program.

 

The program is available for graduating seniors as well as current college students. If a participant puts in 100 hours of work, they are awarded a scholarship in the amount of $2,500 that can be applied to college tuition and/or books (the scholarship cannot be used for housing).

 

They can work up to 30 hours a week at any of the 40 John Ebert owned McDonald’s that are located in 14 different counties in West Virginia, including five sites in Harrison County, as well as a handful of locations in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

 

“This is an opportunity for graduating high school seniors and college students over the next eight weeks to work 100 hours at 9 dollars an hour to receive an additional $2,500 dollar scholarship,” Cava said.

 

“At a time when people have been sequestered in their homes to stop the spread of disease, the John W. Ebert corporation is offering young people an opportunity to get back out into the community while also earning money for their education.”

 

Ebert said last year the program awarded $170,000 to between 90 and 100 kids. He’d like to see both of those numbers increase this year.

“It has really helped a lot of kids,” Ebert said. “Our goal this year is $500,000. We are trying to get as many employees as we can because our business has actually been pretty good.”

 

Cava and a select few of his fellow Harrison County students have also been chosen by Ebert to help recruit for the program which would help them qualify for a leadership class.

 

According to Cava, the responses in the recruiting process have been positive thus far.

 

“We have had a lot of great feedback from the community,” said Cava, who will attend Georgetown University in the fall where he will major in Finance while minoring in either Physics or Government.

 

“We’ve talked to a lot of graduating seniors and some who are already in college. People seem really excited because we are living in an unprecedented time. The coronavirus has really hampered a lot of people, so they are excited to get back out into the community or to start working."

 

The scholarship program isn’t just a one-time deal either. For example, a student working toward an undergraduate degree could work 100 hours four consecutive summers and earn $10,000 toward their college education. Workers can also go beyond the 100 hours and keep earning the 9 dollars per hour.

 

“The Archways scholarship shows that both McDonald’s and the John W. Ebert corporation are committed to supporting people who want to continue their education,” Cava said. “This also provides an opportunity for students to learn about how McDonald’s does business through first-hand experience. They are the most successful fast food restaurant chain in the world with a market cap of $134 billion and they are present in 100 countries.”

 

Ebert also wanted to confirm to anyone interested in the program that they would be working in a safe environment as the country continues its fight against the coronavirus.

 

All of the McDonald’s employees are wearing gloves and masks and there has been plexiglass installed at point of service areas.

 

“We take everyone’s temperature before they work,” Ebert said. “We’ve been blessed that we haven’t had any cases. It’s a safe environment to work in.”

 

Applications for the Archways to Opportunity scholarship as well as additional information for Ebert’s 40 locations can be found HERE.

 

The official Twitter handle for the official John Ebert McDonald’s is @ebertmcdonalds

 

Also, a video about the Archways scholarship can be viewed below:

 

Editor's Note: Submitted photo shows (from left to right), John Ebert, Hannah Spurlock, Kenzie Koon, Vincenzo Cava and Alessandro Cava.