MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – A West Virginia State University senior majoring in International Studies, History, and Political Science, Abbigail Harless, and an employee of McDonald’s on University Avenue were awarded a $2,500 corporate scholarship on Wednesday. The scholarship is matched by local owner John Ebert, making the total contribution to her education $5,000.
“I actually applied for this scholarship because last semester they messed up my aid, and I was really hoping for it,” Harless said. “I really needed it, and I got it, and I’m really happy.”
Ebert is an Ohio native who attended Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on a baseball scholarship and earned an accounting degree. He went to work in Dallas, Texas, for a major accounting firm and registered to purchase a McDonald’s franchise. In 1990, he and his father purchased their first store in Bridgeport, and now he and his wife own 40 stores, making them the 11th largest McDonald’s franchisee in the country.
Ebert said helping their employees, who are also pursuing an education, is and has been important to them.
“We gave out close to $200,000 in scholarships to different kids working for us,” Ebert said. “We give out half, and McDonald’s matches it, so it works out pretty well.”
Harless is from Charleston and a graduate of Nitro High School. He came to work at McDonalds in 2020 during the pandemic. She said, with previous experience working in fast food, going to work for McDonalds seemed to be a good option at the time.
“I came here for a school job, just to try and get some money, and I liked it,” Harless said. “I worked through the whole pandemic; I’ve made a ton of friends here, and I’ve worked my way up to shift manager.”
Working at McDonald’s has taught Harless the importance of work ethic, and while working at the store, she’s learned about inventory and cash control as well as managing people as a shift leader. Additionally, Harless said the relationships she has developed with co-workers and management have helped her grow.
“It’s honestly helped a ton with my communication skills and my leadership skills, and I’ve been able to learn about the onboarding and hiring process,” Harless said.
Helping to develop employees is an important part of Ebert’s mission, as is running stores. Starting to work with employees at the high school level with jobs that provide benefits, matching 401k programs, and free education benefits like an ACT preparation program.
“We’ve had over 4,000 kids come to that over the last seven or eight years,” Ebert said. “It helps kids get better scores on their ACT and math, and it helps them get the Promise Scholarship in West Virginia, which is worth $19,000.”