Riverside Military Academy Student Receives bp-GOAL Scholarship Award

BP has invested a total of $3 million in the bp-GOAL Scholars fund, helping to educate future engineers, scientists, and mathematicians in connection with the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, Inc. (GOAL). A total of 25 deserving Georgia students have been awarded scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year, enabling them to attend a Georgia private school.

Riverside Military Academy (RMA) senior Declan Bethel is one of the 25 Georgia 2022-2023 students receiving this award. He has received this scholarship now for the fourth year in a row.

When asked what the bp-GOAL scholarship meant to him, Bethel said, “During my eighth-grade year, I remember watching the Veteran's Day parade and seeing Riverside marching with all their parade gear. I immediately told my mom that's where I wanted to go. She told me the tuition was too much for her to afford, but if I wanted to go, I could apply for bp-GOAL. I was ecstatic when I received the news that I was going to Riverside. Now that I am graduating in May 2023, I look back and am grateful for bp-GOAL. bp-GOAL is the only way I could have completed four years at this academy. GOAL allowed me to excel. I would like to say thank you to everybody that has donated towards Georgia GOAL and how you have changed my life.”

Lisa Kelly, President of the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, said, "The bp-GOAL Scholars Fund exemplifies the power of this program to improve educational outcomes for students throughout Georgia. The valuable contributions by bp, as well as their engagement and interest in the well-being of each student scholarship recipient, enable deserving students to achieve remarkable success in graduating from rigorous college preparatory schools [before] continuing their education in universities."

RMA Math Teacher Trevor Thomas said, “When I first met Declan, I was immediately impressed with his demeanor, his level of intelligence, and his personal discipline. His excellent mathematical mind allowed him to obtain three math credits (honors geometry, dual enrollment college algebra, and dual enrollment pre-calculus) in the same academic year. I consider him a worthy recipient for any academic scholarship.”

Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, Inc. is the state's largest student scholarship organization, having awarded 55,387 scholarships totaling $228.5 million since 2008.