Denny’s Awards Outstanding Students with Inaugural Stipend Through Its Hungry for Education™ Scholarship Program
The first of four students from HBCUs received awards for outstanding work in photo research and digitization
Jordan Riley
Rejoice Adekoya
Spartanburg, SC, Oct. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Denny’s (NASDAQ: DENN), America’s Diner, announces two recipients of the inaugural Denny’s x Getty Images Hungry for Education Stipend.
Denny’s and Getty Images (NYSE: GETY), a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, announced their partnership last year in support of the Getty Images Photo Archive Grants Program for HBCUs.
Students from Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) and Jackson State University (JSU) have each received $1,250 stipends, recognizing their passion for preserving their HBCU’s history. The scholars are:
- Rejoice Adekoya, a sophomore nursing major at Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas) from Lagos, Nigeria.
- Jordan Riley, a junior in journalism and media studies at Jackson State University (Jackson, Mississippi) from Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
“I applaud the work that Denny’s and Getty Images are doing to acknowledge the academic efforts of our HBCU scholars and to preserve the history and legacy of these hallowed institutions,” said JSU Acting President Elayne Hayes Anthony, Ph.D. “I am equally thrilled that Jordan is a recipient of this well-earned stipend, which also reflects the talent emerging from our Department of Journalism and Media Studies. I could not be more proud.”
“Prairie View A&M University is so proud of Rejoice Adekoya. Her commitment to preserving our history and continuing to tell the stories that connect us to our shared ancestry and legacy is inspiring. At Prairie View, we are intentional in honoring our past and learning from it, therefore we appreciate Denny’s and Getty Images for understanding the importance of this effort and providing the means to make it possible,” said PVAMU President Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D.
An application process was launched for students currently enrolled at Jackson State University, Claflin University, Prairie View A&M and North Carolina Central University – the four Getty Images Photo Archive Grant Recipients. Students submitted a selection of their favorite newly digitized archival photo with commentary about how having access to their university’s history has impacted them and their educational journey.
The students have worked with university staff and teams from Getty Images to research and digitize photos from their respective institutions. The Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs was launched to honor the legacy and history of HBCUs and their contributions to American history. In partnership with the Getty Family and Stand Together, the program commits $500,000 towards the digitization of HBCU photographic archives.
“We are proud to support these scholars and the work they’ve done,” said April Kelly Drummond, Denny’s Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “Doing this work affords students the opportunity to not only learn about the history of their college and the contribution to American History, but they gain an understanding and appreciation for their unique power and how they can contribute to and make a difference in the communities in which we live.”
Cassandra Illidge, Vice President of Global Partnerships for Getty Images, added, “Ms. Adekoya and Ms. Riley have shared powerful statements about their experience working with the photo archives at their institutions. They’ve learned valuable skills in research and applying metadata to imagery, working alongside the HBCU’s archivists and our team. We are proud to partner with Denny’s and continue investing in their future.”
For more information about the scholars and the program, contact Getty Images at jenna.attardi@gettyimages.com.
About Denny’s Corp
Denny’s is a Spartanburg, S.C. based family dining restaurant celebrating its 70th anniversary year and founding purpose: We love to feed people. That purpose has led us to become a restaurant brand that guests worldwide rely on for delicious value and craveable contemporary meals across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night. Every day, we welcome guests to dine whenever and however they prefer, whether it’s at our brick-and-mortar locations, via Denny’s on Demand – the first delivery platform in the family dining segment, or at The Meltdown and The Burger Den, our two virtual restaurants. Our longstanding commitment to supporting our local communities is brought to life with our Mobile Relief Diner that delivers hot meals to our neighbors during times of disaster.
Denny’s is one of the largest franchised full-service restaurant brands in the world, based on number of restaurants. As of March 29, 2023, Denny’s had 1,594 franchised, licensed and company restaurants, which includes 161 restaurants in Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
To learn more about Denny’s, please visit our brand website at www.dennys.com or the brand’s social channels via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or YouTube.
About Getty Images
Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace that offers a full range of content solutions to meet the needs of any customer around the globe, no matter their size. Through its Getty Images, iStock and Unsplash brands, websites and APIs, Getty Images serves customers in almost every country in the world and is the first-place people turn to discover, purchase and share powerful visual content from the world’s best photographers and videographers. Getty Images works with over 541,000 contributors and more than 310 content partners to deliver this powerful and comprehensive content. Each year Getty Images covers more than 160,000 news, sport and entertainment events providing depth and breadth of coverage that is unmatched. Getty Images maintains one of the largest and best privately-owned photographic archives in the world with millions of images dating back to the beginning of photography.
For company news and announcements, visit our Newsroom.
About Jackson State University
Jackson State University, founded in 1877, is a historically black, high research activity university located in Jackson, the capital city of Mississippi. Jackson State’s nurturing academic environment challenges individuals to change lives through teaching, research and service. Officially designated as Mississippi’s Urban University, Jackson State continues to enhance the state, nation and world through comprehensive economic development, healthcare, technological and educational initiatives. The only public university in metropolitan Jackson, Jackson State is located near downtown, with four satellite locations throughout the area. For more information, visit www.jsums.edu.
About Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University, founded in 1876, is the second oldest public institution of higher education in the state of Texas and the third largest Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in the nation. Designated as an “institution of the first class” in the Texas Constitution, the enrollment exceeds 9,000 students and over 80,000 graduates. PVAMU offers academic programs through its ten colleges and schools, boasting degree options leading to bachelor’s to doctoral-level degrees. A Carnegie-classified high-research (R2) University and a member of The Texas A&M University System, PVAMU is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research and service. For more information, visit www.pvamu.edu.
Attachments
CONTACT: Denny's Media Team Denny's 864-597-8005 media@dennys.com
