AAA Announces Fifth Annual AAA Five Diamond Hospitality Scholar.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- With colleges and universities throughout the country preparing for the imminent return of students this spring, AAA is pleased to announce that Paul M. Comishock is the recipient of its annual $5,000 AAA Five Diamond Hospitality Scholarship for the current academic year.

Comishock is a junior at The Culinary Institute of America in New York, a member of the National Honor Society and a volunteer with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program.

Each year, AAA honors an outstanding hospitality student enrolled in an educational institution involved with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation's (AH&LEF) Annual Scholarship Grant Program.

Based on various criteria, AAA selects universities and colleges with exceptional hospitality management or culinary programs to receive the award which is rotated yearly around the country. The selected institution is invited to nominate its best candidate, who is selected based on their academic performance, hospitality work experience, extracurricular involvement, and financial need.

"AAA is pleased and proud to sponsor this scholarship for students who excel at their craft and give back to their community," said Michael Petrone, director, AAA Tourism Information Development. "AAA is deeply committed to promoting achievement within the culinary arts. Who knows, Paul may be one of our future Five Diamond chefs or at least play a part in one of more than 25,000 AAA Diamond Rated restaurants."

"Through this contribution, AAA demonstrates its commitment to assisting students pursuing careers in the hospitality industry. With this shared belief, we're both able to reward excellent and deserving students like Paul, who will ultimately become a part of the next generation of lodging and restaurant industry leaders," said Michelle Poinelli, AH&LEF vice president of Foundation Programs.

AAA Diamond Ratings for restaurants represent a combination of the overall food, service, decor and ambiance offered by the establishment. Ratings are assigned to only those properties that meet stringent quality requirements.

For more information about the AAA Five Diamond Scholarship, log on to http://www.aaapublicaffairs.com or contact the AHLEF at [phone] or http://www.ahlef.org. For more information about AAA's Diamond Ratings, log on to http://www.aaa.com/diamonds.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 48 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.