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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
July 31, 2012 Kathy Mimberg
(202) 776-1714
kmimberg@nclr.org
Washington, D.C.—The Best Buy Children’s Foundation and NCLR (National Council of La Raza) announced the recipients of the sixth NCLR–Best Buy Emerging Latino Leaders Scholarship Program. Four graduating Hispanic high school seniors will receive a total of $25,000 in scholarships to attend the colleges of their choice. The scholarship recipients are from Alabama, Colorado, Oregon, and Wisconsin.
The winners were selected based on their written responses to the question: “In the ‘Digital Age,’ how are you an advocate for the Latino community? How have you used new media or mobile platforms to advance advocacy and civic engagement efforts in your community?” Applicants were asked to answer the question and describe their history of service to the community, level of academic achievement, proven utilization of new media in social advocacy campaigns, and demonstrated financial need.
“At Best Buy, we focus on empowering teens. We partner with nonprofit organizations that support teens by giving access to opportunities through technology,” said Susan Bass Roberts, Director of Community Relations at Best Buy. "The Best Buy Children’s Foundation is proud to partner with NCLR and the Emerging Latino Leaders Scholarship Program to provide these students with the opportunity to excel in school, engage in their communities, and develop leadership skills which will result in a better future."
The 2012 recipients of the NCLR–Best Buy Emerging Latino Leaders Scholarship are:
• Kennia Coronado, Racine, Wis. ($15,000)
• Beatriz Felix, Russellville, Ala. ($5,000)
• Bianca Maldonado-Ramirez, Beaverton, Ore. ($2,500)
• Dalia Quezada, Denver, Colo. ($2,500)
“NCLR congratulates these exemplary students and is pleased to join the Best Buy Children’s Foundation in presenting them with scholarships to further their education. Earning a college degree is the best path to a bright future, and we are working hard at NCLR to make the college dream a reality for more young Latinos,” said Delia Pompa, NCLR Senior Vice President.
The NCLR Líderes Initiative spearheads the NCLR–Best Buy Emerging Latino Leaders Scholarship Program, which is designed to increase the educational attainment of Latino youth by providing scholarships to graduating high school students who have been accepted into postsecondary education institutions for the 2012–2013 academic year. Líderes is a national youth leadership program that equips and empowers Latino youth throughout the country to become agents of positive social change across all sectors of society. For more information on Líderes, please visit http://lideres.nclr.org/ or follow the program on Facebook and Twitter.
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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