High School Heisman, It’s Been Our Honor

Over the past 25 years, Wendy’s has had the incredible honor of getting to know many of the most esteemed high school senior athletes from all across our country.

Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas created Wendy’s High School Heisman scholarship in 1994. The scholarship has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in college funding to students and more than a million dollars to high school academic and athletic programs across the country. It began as a way to identify and honor the nation’s most remarkable high school seniors; students who go above and beyond on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities

But in the end, it was the students who honored us by sharing their personal stories of triumph, opening up about the adversity they’ve faced, and getting personal about exactly what it is that inspires and drives them to never settle, keep digging deeper, and always reach higher.

From the very first Heisman class of winners in 1994 to the final class of 2018, the student applicants, high school administrators, teachers, coaches, parents, caregivers and more who have been a part of the program’s success have afforded Wendy’s the privilege to witness firsthand what a tireless commitment to excellence really looks like. We’ve met countless students who live and breathe the same values that fuel Wendy’s success every day: a never-ending aspiration to be better along with a passionate heart for serving others.

We’ve celebrated the lasting impact these students make in their communities and the world, awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in college scholarships and more than a million dollars to improve high school academic and athletic programs across the country.

Along the way, we’ve watched the program’s participants build a legacy of inspiration that will live on as shining example for future generations of students committed to going the extra mile, putting in the additional effort, and leaping any and every hurdle in order to realize their full potential and personal bests.

The Wendy’s family thanks everyone who fully supported this program and allowed us the privilege of witnessing and sharing your stories of greatness. To every honoree, and to all those who aspire to continue their legacy, Wendy’s salutes you.

You’ve honored us.

And we are grateful to have had this opportunity to honor you.