Sandhills Community College student wins $100,000 in scholarship money at SEC championship game

A Moore County college student with dreams of working in pro basketball used his football skills to get a life-changing break over the weekend.

Sandhills Community College student body president Andrew Jimenez was awarded $100,000 in scholarship money after winning the Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway, just days before he hit a milestone birthday.

Jimenez accepted his novelty oversized check during halftime of the SEC Championship game Saturday under the watch of fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and a national television audience. For a guy who wants to pursue marketing, it was a great way to get his name out there.

"Friends and family have been so excited," said Andrew Jimenez, who turned 20 on Tuesday. "For the longest time, tuition was one of the biggest factors in my college decision."

Jimenez, who graduated from Pinecrest High School in 2022, never played quarterback during his flag football days, but that didn't stop him from throwing 18 balls into an inflated Dr Pepper can from five yards away during a 30-second span.

Jimenez beat out his opponent, Anita from the University of San Francisco. When practicing for the event, he had to fine-tune a careful technique for the toss into a hole two feet in diameter.

"It was that perfect balance of getting it out quick but also being where I was comfortable with it," he said.

Friends at SCC organized practice sessions during halftime at basketball games to get him used to performing in front of a crowd.

"Once my school found out, they were very supportive about it," he said. "I had a friend who built me a prototype version. After that, the school got wind of it and they built two mock cans for me. Every single day, I was out there practicing as much as I could."

Jimenez is a deserving recipient for his talent, but also for enduring hardships in recent years. Jimenez wore a pink ribbon during the contest to honor his late mother, who died of breast cancer in September 2023. His father died from COVID in January 2022.

"Coming off some pretty bad circumstances, I was like let me just investigate, see what it's like," he said about first coming across the contest.

He submitted a video explaining his story after researching previous finalists. It must have worked because he caught their eye.

Jimenez wants to transfer to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and major in marketing. He aspires to work for an NBA team one day. He also has a hand in several volunteer organizations.

"Now, the fact that I have this opportunity to go someplace and not really worry about money as much is incredible," Jimenez said.