New Tim Cook Scholarship awards students in Alabama

Apple CEO Tim Cook is recognizing high school students with a new scholarship program in his hometown of Robertsdale, Alabama, with the first round of recipients receiving $7,500 each.

Cook is a native of the Robertsdale and graduated from Robertsdale High School. According to local media outlet WKRG, Cook has wanted to give back to the school for years. Now, a new scholarship program named after him has launched.

On Thursday night, seven Robertsdale High School students received the $7,500 Tim Cook Scholarship. In total, $52,500 was given in the first round of awards.

Robertsdale High School Principal Joe Sharp said several factors are taken into account when selecting the award recipients. Those criteria, laid out by Cook, include "grit, creativity, curiosity, academics, leadership."

Additionally, Cook has committed to awarding scholarships for at least the next 10 years. "You're talking around $50,000 a year," Sharp said.

"We hope we have a few more alumni that want to get involved like Mr. Cook has," Sharp joked.

This isn't the first time Cook has given money to educational institutions. In 2014, he donated $291,000 to a Pennsylvania school district for iPads.

Cook has also consistently donated company stocks that he directly owns to charity. In 2020, for example, he donated $5 million worth of shares to an unnamed charity. He did the same thing in 2019.

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