EWING, Va. - Rebecca Hatfield of Ewing, Va., is being recognized for her academic record, character, leadership abilities, and community service involvement with a TFPP scholarship from Philip Morris USA. The TFPP scholarship recipients were selected from a competitive pool of students that included more than 160 applicants.

Hatfield, who is currently a freshman at the University of South Dakota, is an accounting major.

“American tobacco is very important to us, so we are proud to support tobacco growing communities in this way,” said Jeanette Hubbard, Philip Morris USA’s vice president, Leaf. “We’re very excited for Rebecca and all of the scholarship recipients and certainly the communities in which these recipients live should be very proud, as well.”

Dependents of tobacco farmers who have current tobacco agreements with Philip Morris USA are eligible for the college scholarships. In addition to the four Virginia scholarship recipients, Philip Morris USA gave similar scholarships to 27 students from other states across the southeastern United States. Since the program began in 2000, PM USA has awarded about $2 million in scholarships to recognize the accomplishments of children of its tobacco farmer partners.

Qualified students who plan to attend college or vocational/technical schools, or who are currently enrolled in college, applied for the scholarships. Recipients are eligible to receive as much as $4,000 per year for undergraduate or graduate study and $2,000 a year for vocational/technical scholarships. Scholarships are renewed annually provided the students meet academic and eligibility requirements.