In May 2024, the Tropicana Supermarket of Clinton established a new Foundation scholarship at Sampson Community College (SCC). The purpose of the award is to assist students of Hispanic heritage enrolled in a business or agriculture program at SCC.

Representing the Tropicana, Nathalie Collado Rose, Human Resources, presented Lisa Turlington, Executive Director of the SCC Foundation, with a check to help fund the scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year.

“The Tropicana Supermarket loves its community!” expressed Rose. “We want to be able to provide that extra support and encouragement for those working hard to pursue their dreams. We are excited to be on this journey with our Viking family.”

Tropicana Supermarket is a family-owned, full-service international group of supermarkets that “started out as a dream.” The founder, Felipe Gutierrez, was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. Immigrating to New York in the 1980s with his family, he established the first Tropicana Supermarket in 2007. Currently, there are 5 Tropicana Supermarkets – Clinton, Goldsboro, Greenville, Dunn, and Durham – all owned by family members of Gutierrez.

Through their business, the family hopes to, “Provide products from around the world, to customers of diverse backgrounds. There is no better feeling than having a customer tell you that it feels so welcoming to be able to come to the store and find products from their homeland.”

Speaking on behalf of the College, Lisa Turlington, Dean of Advancement & Executive Director of the Foundation, thanked, “We are excited to team up with Tropicana in offering this support to SCC students. The Supermarket is a vital local business and a good community partner.”

Sampson CC is grateful to the Tropicana for their dedication to student success at SCC. The College looks forward to seeing the impact the award will have on the educational journeys of Hispanic agriculture or business students for years to come.

For more information about how to give to the Foundation or how to apply for scholarships, visit http://www.sampsoncc.edu/foundation or http://www.sampsoncc.edu/scholarships

Editor’s Note: This story was originally written by Megan Bednar and posted by Sampson Community College on their Viking Voice blog page. Read their version here.