Chick-fil-A CEO visits Columbus to give surprise scholarship to team member
Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy surprised a Columbus location team member Wednesday with one of 13 $25,000 scholarships as part of the organization’s Remarkable Futures Scholarships program.
Cathy, grandson of Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy, presented the check to Sarah Noble-Eggie, a mother and military spouse. Noble-Eggie is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Maryland Global Campus, according to a news release.
“It is one of my favorite weeks of the year to be able to do this,” Andrew Cathy told reporters. “It’s so exciting just to see the impact that it has on somebody like Sarah and other team members across the country, knowing that this can really further their pursuit of their dreams.”
The news release says Noble-Eggie has maintained a 4.0 GPA while pursuing her bachelor’s degree online and juggling her responsibilities as a team leader at the Chick-fil-A at 2730 Manchester Expressway.
Noble-Eggie said she was “really shocked” about the scholarship presentation and thought she was just doing an interview with the CEO.
“Turns out, I got a $25,000 scholarship, so it’s pretty overwhelming — but in a great way,” she said.
Noble-Eggie said she also works for her father’s food truck.
“It’s a lot of working,” she said. “I’m very tired.”
The scholarship will allow her to spend more time focusing on school and her family, she said.
Noble-Eggie said she is thinking about majoring in literature.
“I just think it’s very beautiful how some people can convey their words and there is so much meaning in writing,” she said, “and it fascinates me.”
Noble-Eggie’s husband, Dakota Noble-Eggie, said he is proud of his wife.
“She’s very hard on herself, and no matter how many close family members or friends tell her that she’s doing a good job handling all of her responsibilities, I don’t think she believes it,” he said. “But something to this level, clearly she can see she has something really good.”
History of scholarship program
Chick-fil-A’s history of scholarships began in the 1950s with S. Truett Cathy putting an empty mayonnaise jar on the counter of the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville, Georgia, to benefit a team member named Eddie White, according to the company’s website.
When asked how he felt about the growth of the program from a jar to a multimillion-dollar scholarship program, Andrew Cathy said it’s been exciting.
“We formalized it in 1973, and since 1973 we’ve given over $244 million to 139,000 team members,” he said.
Chick-fil-A will support more than 16,000 team members by investing $29 million in scholarships in 2026, according to Andrew Cathy.
When asked about what drives him to do the scholarship presentations, Andrew Cathy said, ”Just the impact part because we love to be in business, and we also want to sell a lot of chicken. But even more so, we really want to plug in to our communities and make a difference in the way that we do business.”
According to Chick-fil-A spokeswoman Jazmyne Hankerson, the scholarship is administered by Scholarship America, whose selection criteria includes financial need, academic performance, demonstrated care and service to the community and letters of recommendation.
Location owner reacts to scholarship
Alex Vann, owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A location on Manchester Expressway, said, “Sarah is one of those rare combinations of speed and grace, and we’re in a quick-service restaurant, and you need to be accurate, and Sarah does a wonderful job.”
Vann said Noble-Eggie reminds him of a bee, buzzing around serving customers with poise. To Vann’s knowledge, this is the first time a team member in the area has received a $25,000 scholarship from the company.
Between his two restaurants, Vann said almost $80,000 in scholarships will be awarded to team members.
“For Sarah to be chosen, it’s certainly something only God and Chick-fil-A can do,” Vann said.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 4:32 PM.