In March , Luke Marasco was working his normal shift , and had been told ahead of time that camera crews from Chick-fil-A corporate were coming to the restaurant to talk to employees for a promotion . Each one would be interviewed for about five minutes .
While the crew was interviewing him , he noticed a crowd gathering but just thought the restaurant was getting busy . Then , suddenly , the CEO of Chick-fil-A , Andrew T . Cathy , walked up to him . The company was presenting him with a check for a $ 25,000 scholarship ! It was only then he noticed that “ the crowd ” that had gathered was made up of his parents , siblings and friends .
“ My mom and dad cried ,” says Luke . They were very proud of him for being chosen as one of only 14 employees selected for this level of scholarship in the entire United States and Canada .
His parents actually had been informed in January that Luke was going to receive it , but were not allowed to tell anyone about it . Somehow , they managed to keep it under wraps . More challenging was when the big day rolled around and Luke told his mother that he was feeling quite tired . Though he was still planning on going to work anyway , she quickly went into high gear and started trying to revive him with food , coffee and pretty much anything to give him energy and prevent him from calling off for the day . Needless to say , he was feeling much more energetic after receiving the check .
Though Luke was one of only 14 to receive the big scholarship , Chickfil-A awards smaller amounts to 14,000 employees , totaling $ 26.4 million !
Luke is enrolled at Regent University in Virginia Beach , Virginia , majoring in Leadership Studies with a focus in Christian Ministry . He attends remotely , which is more cost-effective and allows him to continue to work at Chick-fil-A .
Luke was inspired by his mother , who also works in ministry , to become a pastor . He was only 12 years old when he made this decision . Several months ago , he was somewhat uneasy about how he was going to finance his college tuition to make his dream come true . He prayed and fasted about it , and after he ended his fast , Chickfil-A called his parents just two days later to inform them Luke had been chosen . He only learned of the divine timing after receiving the check .
His selection was based on his grades , but also his community service hours , which were considerable since he volunteers at his church on a regular basis .
He will celebrate his three-year anniversary at Chick-fil-A in May , a place that he almost overlooked when choosing a place of employment . But a friend had encouraged him to apply at the restaurant .
“ It ’ s an awesome place to work on just a day-to-day basis . The managers really pitch in and help . But more than that , they truly do invest in your future ,” explains Luke . One of the managers , Johnny Carr , is the person who told him about the scholarship possibilities and encouraged him to apply . “ Without even realizing it , he has taught me so much about leadership , just by watching him .”
The restaurant ’ s franchisee , Brian Wenger , is another person Luke looks up to . “ He connects with all the workers , and we have a lot of employees . He not only knows their name , he knows about their lives and what ’ s important to them .”
Even the company ’ s CEO , Andrew Cathy , took the time to talk to everyone when he visited the Monroeville location . “ He was very intentional about making sure he connected with everyone ,” says Luke , and he spent a great deal of time there .
After receiving the check , Luke was also presented with a new Mac computer ( wrapped in a giant Chick-fil-A sauce packet ). He ’ ll receive leadership training in Atlanta as well , with three allinclusive trips , where he ’ ll be assigned a mentor — and that ’ s not chicken feed ! n
MONROEVILLE ❘ SUMMER 2024 11