AXA Equitable Announces 2012 AXA Achievement(sm) Scholarship Winners

NEW YORK, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, in association with U.S. News & World Report, announces the 2012 AXA Achievement(sm) Scholarship winners. 2012 will mark $21.5 million in scholarships to more than 4,800 students awarded by AXA Equitable through the AXA Foundation since the program began 10 years ago.

As in previous years, 52 students – one from each state, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico – have been awarded college scholarships of $10,000.  Of those 52 winners, 10 students have been chosen as national winners and will receive an additional $15,000 scholarship award and a new computer for school.

"For a decade, AXA Achievement has provided scholarships to college-bound high school seniors to make paying for college more affordable for them and their families," said Mark Pearson, chairman and CEO of AXA Equitable. "We're extremely proud to continue this tradition with this year's winners, accomplished young people determined to make a difference in the lives of others."

All of the scholarship recipients are graduating high school seniors who demonstrated ambition and drive, determination to set and reach goals, and the ability to succeed in college.

The 2012 national winners are:

• Teressa Baldwin, Sitka, AK
• Steven Lightfoot, Colorado Springs, CO
• Mary-Grace Reeves, Pensacola, FL
• Julia Mead, Lexington, KY
• Max Wallack, Natick, MA
• Luke Hill, Elizabethtown, NC
• Rujul Zaparde, Plainsboro, NJ
• Caraline Sepich, Carlsbad, NM
• Ruchi Shah, Ronkonkoma, NY
• Aneesa Sood, Jackson, TN

More information about the winners can be found online at www.usnews.comand www.axa-equitable.com.  The scholarship is administered by Scholarship Management Services®, a program of Scholarship America®, one of the nation's largest nonprofit private sector scholarship and educational support organizations.

Through AXA Achievement, AXA Equitable is one of the nation's largest corporate providers of scholarships — awarding more than $1.3 million each year. In addition to the $670,000 in AXA Achievement(sm) Scholarships awarded annually through this national scholarship, the AXA Achievement(sm) Community Scholarship awards up to an additional $750,000 in scholarships annually. Through this program and the financial education services the company provides, AXA Equitable is a comprehensive resource for information to help students and parents with their college planning. 

About AXA Foundation

The AXA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of AXA Financial, one of the premier U.S. financial services organizations and a member of the global AXA Group, a leader in financial protection and wealth management. The Foundation directs the company's philanthropic and volunteer activities, working to improve the quality of life in communities across the country where AXA has a presence. The AXA Foundation's multifaceted signature program, AXA Achievement, supports the company's strong commitment to Corporate Responsibility and AXA Group's flagship theme of "Risk, Research and Education," by providing America's youth with the access and advice to help  succeed in college and beyond. 2012 will mark $21.5 million in college scholarships awarded to more than 4,800 students, known as AXA Achievers. For more information go to www.axa-achievement.com or AXA Equitable's Facebook page.

About AXA Equitable

In business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY) is a leading financial protection company and one of the nation's premier providers of life insurance, annuity, and financial products and services. The company's products and services are distributed to individuals and business owners through its retail distribution channel, AXA Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) and to the financial services market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA Distributors, LLC. Find AXA Equitable on Facebook and Twitter or visit the company's multi-media newsroom The Source @ AXA Equitable.

AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., is part of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management. "AXA Group" refers to AXA, a French holding company for an international group of insurance and financial services companies together with its direct and indirect consolidated subsidiaries. For more information, visit www.axa-equitable.com.

SOURCE AXA Equitable