Did you know that only 1 in every 5 Latino has a college degree?
My Husband and I are the only ones in our families that attended college. Chris is the youngest of 6 and the only one that graduated high school. I'm the oldest of 3 and my parents pushed me to set an example to my siblings about the importance of graduating high school. Not that I didn't want to graduate high school.. I had dreams of going to college but had no idea what to do to enroll or even if I would be able to get financial aid. I always thought my parents made a decent amount of money so never thought I would qualify for financial aid and knew they wouldn't be able to afford "college" with my siblings right behind me so I did what I had been doing since I was 14 years old - worked.
Fast forward to 2010, Chris and I decided to enroll in community college. After juggling family life, work and school for the past 2 years, we finally get our degrees next year. The first in our families but hopefully not the last. We were determined to teach our children that it can be done but it takes hard work and dedication. Our 6 year old Duke always talks about which toys he's going to take with him to college and I can not tell you how proud it makes me feel that he already has higher education goals. Our teenagers know that we have answers for them about college and that we encourage them to do well in school so if we can't afford it, there are other options like scholarships. This is important to us because this is the cycle we want to start - Our multicultural family investing in higher learning, succeeding and continuing a new generation full of education and success. That's why Destapa su Futuro is important to us and it should be important to you and your children.
With just one month left to the Destapa su Futuro / Uncap Their Future Scholarship deadline, The Coca-Cola Company and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) are encouraging students ages 16 and above to apply now for a scholarship. The Coca-Cola Company, HSF and participating retail partners have joined forces to award more than $300,000 in scholarships during Hispanic Heritage Month.
From now through October 31, students can apply for a scholarship at www.hsf.net/cocacola by answering three thought-provoking essay questions. Students must reflect on how their heritage affects their career goals, the importance of education in their lives and their community service experiences. Students should not wait until the last minute to apply.
As part of Destapa su Futuro also consumers can visit participating retailers to learn more about how to apply for scholarships in their area including:
• Selected Publix Super Markets stores in the South Florida region
• Tony's Finer Foods in Illinois
• Kum & Go LC in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana.
• Greater Houston Retailers Association (GHRA) in Houston, Texas
• Atlanta Retailers Association (ARA) in Atlanta, Georgia
• Stop & Shop Supermarkets throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
• Selected independent stores in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah
• Selected West region retailers, such as Superior Grocers, Gonzalez Northgate Markets, El Super, Vallarta Supermarkets, Cardenas Markets and Food City
“Our retail partners are committed to helping Latino students in their communities and are helping fund this initiative as well as raising awareness of the importance of a higher education among Latinos,”said Reinaldo Padua, AVP Hispanic Marketing, Coca-Cola North America., “We hope that this initiative continues to inspire others to support this worthy cause.”
For more information, please visit www.mycokerewards.com/education and www.hsf.net/cocacola.
Disclosure: This is a compensated post in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are my own.Labels: Coca Cola, College, Culture, Destapa su Futuro, Hispanic Heritage Month, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Latinas, Latinos, Multicultural, Uncap Their Future
