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AFL Presents Three Naruse Academic Scholarship Awards

Spartanburg, SC – AFL, a leading international manufacturer of fiber optic cable, accessories and equipment, announces the presentation of three Naruse Academic Scholarship awards. Scholarships were awarded to Megan Keller, daughter of Greg Keller, customer service operations manager at AFL; Stephen Yang, son of Carine Yang, supervisor for AFL’s customer support center; and Ben Shinoski, son of Jarrett Shinoski, production development engineer in AFL’s research and development division.

AFL's Naruse Academic Scholarship Recipients

Megan Keller is a 2021 Honor’s Graduate of Eastside High School in Taylors, South Carolina. She was an annual member of the National Honor Society as well as the debate team. Much of Megan’s middle and high school years were spent volunteering for organizations such as the Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network and Rise Against Hunger. Additionally, Megan created and organized the Eastside’s anti-bullying league which helped create an environment of inclusion and acceptance among her peers. While in high school, Megan played soccer and ran cross country and track. She will attend the University of South Carolina in the fall where she will major in political science. Megan aspires to attend law school.

Stephen Yang graduated with Honors from Union County Early College located in Monroe, North Carolina. Not only did he receive his high school diploma, but Stephen also received an associate degree in Arts from South Piedmont Community College. Stephen has a passion for all things creative and enjoys spending free time listening to music, as well as dabbling in video editing. He is also very involved in his local church and community. Following high school, Stephen plans to attend Wingate University this fall with a major in marketing and hopes of utilizing his creativity to work in social media.

Ben Shinoski graduated from Greenville Senior High Academy in Greenville, South Carolina with a 5.13 GPA. He was inducted into the National Honor Society and chosen to represent Greenville High at Palmetto Boys State. In addition to academics, Ben was heavily involved in sports. He was captain of the lacrosse team during his senior year, while earning all-upper state honors and being named the team’s Most Valuable Player. He also played club soccer at Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, competing at the regional and national level. Ben volunteered for The Homeless Period Project where he packaged and transported products to homeless and low-income families. After losing his job at a restaurant due to the pandemic, Ben created a lawn aeration business, Precision Aeration. Since the inception of his business, he has serviced over 150 yards in the Greenville area while creating an app to provide quotes. Ben will be attending Clemson University in the fall as part of their Honors College where he plans to major in computer science with a minor in entrepreneurship.

Each year, AFL awards a four-year scholarship to the son or daughter of a North American-based AFL associate entering a college or university. This award recognizes students that have stellar academics, achievements and community service, and provides $2,000 per year for four years toward the cost of tuition, room/board, books and more. The scholarship was named in memory of Toshihide Naruse, Managing Director of Fujikura, AFL’s parent company. Mr. Naruse’s contributions to AFL were significant, and because of his personal interest in higher education, AFL continues to honor his memory.

For more information about AFL and its Community Outreach Program, visit www.AFLglobal.com.

About AFL
Founded in 1984, AFL is an international manufacturer providing end-to-end solutions to the energy, service provider, enterprise, hyperscale and industrial markets. The company’s products are in use in over 130 countries and include fiber optic cable and hardware, transmission and substation accessories, outside plant equipment, connectivity, test and inspection equipment, fusion splicers and training. AFL also offers a wide variety of services supporting data center, enterprise, wireless and outside plant applications.
 
Headquartered in Spartanburg, SC, AFL has operations in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujikura Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit www.AFLglobal.com. Follow us on LinkedInTwitter, Facebook, and read our blog.

Contact
Corie Culp
Public Relations Manager
AFL
864.433.5409
Corie.Culp@AFLglobal.com