McDonald's Donates $500,000 in Hispanic Student Scholarships

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Jul 19, 2016) -  To continue being part of the solution to close the education gap for Hispanic students in the U.S., Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), with the exclusive support of McDonald's Hispanic owner/operators, will award five college-bound Hispanic high school seniors a $100,000 RMHC/HACER National Scholarship, increasing McDonald's annual contribution to half a million dollars annually.

This year's five scholarship recipients are: Darinelle Merced-Calderón, Archer, Fla.; Gianfranco Filice, Gilroy, Calif.; Helena Silva-Nichols, Phoenix, Ariz.; Sarah Jackson, Fresno, Calif.; and Elizabeth Manero, Hamilton, Va.

For the first time, this year all five RMHC/HACER National Scholarship recipients will also be paired with a McDonald's mentor who will offer support and guidance throughout the students' college years, fostering continued growth and success.

"The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute applauds McDonald's for the addition of its first-ever Hispanic student mentorship program, which ensures that scholarship recipients will have the academic and moral support that is key to college success," said Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., president of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute and former judge for the RMHC/HACER National Scholarship. "As longstanding educational partners, we are proud to support McDonald's and RMHC in its unparalleled commitment to the education of our U.S. Hispanic youth."

"I am incredibly grateful to receive the RMHC/HACER National Scholarship, which is giving me the chance to pursue my dreams of a post-secondary education," said Gianfranco Filice, one of this year's five scholarship winners. "With the help of this scholarship, I hope to continue to grow into an impact-driven and results-oriented leader at Stanford University."

The RMHC/HACER Scholarship was founded in 1985 by McDonald's owner/operator Richard Castro of El Paso, Texas, with the support of RMHC, McDonald's Corporation and local McDonald's Hispanic owner/operators throughout the country. Castro, a former educator, established the scholarship after noticing increasing school drop-out rates among Hispanic students due to financial difficulties. He called upon his fellow owner/operators and the community at large to help remove the financial barrier of attending college.