McDonald’s HACER® National Program was created in 1985 to grant eligible Hispanic students financial aid so they can achieve their dreams through higher education. And 10 years ago, the McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship was created.
"This year were announcing the big jump from five national winners to 30. And these recipients can get up to 100,000 a year and we all know how much it cost to go to college. So McDonald's is really focusing on the youth and how we can elevate that finical burden through programs such as the McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship," says Melissa Montes Blanco, McDonald's Owner-Operator.
To be eligible for the scholarship you must be a Hispanic high school senior. You can apply by February 4th at mcdonalds.com/hacer. Melissa’s been a judge in previous years, so she knows what the committee is looking for.
"You'll need a 3.0 GPA, letters of recommendation, SAT/ACT scores and you'll also need to submit a personal statement. What were looking for is how your hispanic upbringing has modeled you as a person and how you intend on using the scholarship money to make a difference," says Blanco.
South Floridian Brigitte Morales is a previous scholarship winner. And according to Melissa, that experience changed her life.
"She was one of our original winners 10 years ago and it's beautiful to see how this scholarship impacted her life. She grew up with a single mom and college was a far thing away and that might not had happen to her if this scholarship had not been presented to her by her high school counselor," says Blanco.
If you apply for the scholarship, but don’t receive it, McDonald’s may still be able to help you thrive through a program they have for employees.
"McDonald's has invested in $150,000,000 in this year alone where they're going giving tuition assistance upfront, you can also get advising for free, get a high school diploma and also learn English as your second language," say Blanco.
Once again, to apply for the HACER National Scholarship, head to mcdonalds.com/hacer.