McDonald's Donates $500,000 in Hispanic Student Scholarships - Seite 2

In 2008, the national scholarship was added, offering four $100,000 awards to Hispanic students. Last fall, McDonald's increased its annual donation to RMHC, adding a fifth RMHC/HACER National Scholarship to the existing four $100,000 awards.

"We are so proud of our RMHC/HACER winners and want to make sure they are armed with everything they need for success," explained a champion of the program Ana Madan, member and Vice Chair of the McDonald's Hispanic Owner Operator Association and one of the 45 percent of women and People of Color who make up McDonald's Owner/Operator community. "Knowing they are often the first to go to school and leave home, providing a support system for them will make the transition into school and the business world a bit easier for them. We are very excited to have such wonderful students to mentor and look forward to seeing them grow throughout their career."

To date, more than $31 million in local and national RMHC/HACER Scholarship monies have been awarded to more than 17,800 students. RMHC/HACER, which stands for Hispanic American Commitment to Education Resources, counts on the support of RMHC, McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's Hispanic owner/operators and other donors for its local scholarships.

"At RMHC, we understand the importance of education and are committed to providing resources to students so they can reach their full potential," said Sheila Musolino, president and CEO of RMHC. "With the support of McDonald's, we're able to provide hardworking, determined Hispanic students across the country opportunities to continue building promising futures." 

It is fitting that HACER means "to do" in Spanish. National scholarship recipients are selected based on academic achievement, community involvement and financial need. The rigorous selection process includes a completed application, essay and interviews with a distinguished panel of judges representing academia, business, media, RMHC and McDonald's. Past scholarship recipients have attended prestigious universities, including Stanford University and Harvard University, and continued on to pursue careers in the medical, engineering and business fields, among others.