The McDonald's HACER® National Scholarship Program is Again Awarding Half A Million Dollars in Scholarships to Hispanic Students Across the U.S.

September 07, 2022

In its 37th year, the program has invested more than $33 million to support college-bound Hispanic high school seniors

(CHICAGO—Sept. 7, 2022) McDonald’s USA revealed today the 2022 recipients of the McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship Program. Thirty Hispanic high school seniors will receive a total of a half a million dollars in college scholarships. Through HACER, McDonald’s and its Owner/Operators have helped serve up bright futures for more than 30 years and, to date, have invested more than $33 million to help Hispanic students attend college.

The HACER® National Scholarship represents McDonald’s long-standing commitment to feeding and fostering the Hispanic community through impactful programs that uplift Latinos and set them up for success. Created to provide educational opportunities for students and motivate them to pursue higher education, the HACER® National Scholarship program has helped more than 17,000 students since its founding in 1985.

While graduating from college is a dream to which many Hispanic students and their families aspire, the pursuit of higher education comes with its fair share of barriers. Barriers include a lack of guidance from family and peers who haven’t attended college — in many cases, nearly half of Hispanic students today are the first in their family to seek a college education[1]— in addition to financial implications that make the enrollment and admissions process even more difficult to navigate.

But, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC), there is good news on the horizon as 4-year public colleges and universities enjoyed a 10.3% increase in the number of Hispanic attendees during Spring 2022, compared to 2021.[1]

“With many students facing financial uncertainty and other factors that add to an already stressful college application process, McDonald’s and our Hispanic Owner/Operators remain committed to investing in education and advancement opportunities to help young people reach their full potential,” said Richard Castro, a McDonald’s Owner/Operator and national HACER® scholarship chairperson. “We’re proud to celebrate this year’s recipients and encourage future college students to apply to HACER as one of the first steps toward achieving their educational dreams.”

HACER® scholarship recipients are selected based on academic achievement, community involvement, and financial need. The rigorous selection process includes an application, questionnaire, and interviews with a distinguished panel of judges representing academia, business, media and McDonald’s USA.

McDonald’s and its Hispanic Owner/Operators congratulate the 2022 HACER® National Scholarship recipients:

  1. Allen Lyles from Brownsville, TX attending The University of Texas at San Antonio
  2. Alli Ysaguirre from Harlingen, TX attending Wake Forest University
  3. Angela Cruz- Hernandez from Largo, FL attending St Petersburg College
  4. Christian Amaya from Dallas, TX attending The University of Texas at Arlington
  5. Cristian Osorio from Jonesboro, AR attending University of Arkansas
  6. Cynthia Perez Joachin from Phoenix, AZ attending Carrington College-Phoenix North
  7. Ernesto Marrero from Miami, FL attending Miami Dade College
  8. Felix Barrientos from Aurora, MO attending Brigham Young University-Provo
  9. Isaac Arredondo from Irving, TX attending The University of Texas at Arlington
  10. Jacob Mercedes from Salem, MA attending Suffolk University
  11. Jazid Quiñonez from Sanford, FL attending University of North Florida
  12. Jennifer Figueroa from Berryville, AR attending University of Arkansas
  13. Jennifer Rodriguez from Carpentersville, IL attending Aurora University
  14. Jessica Eleocadio Basilio from Charlotte, NC attending University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  15. Joelle Halfmann from Austin, TX attending University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
  16. Jonathan Murgida from Howard Beach, NY  attending University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  17. Jose Vazquez Santiago from Rochester, NY attending Rochester Institute of Technology
  18. Karla Acosta from Euless, TX attending The University of Texas at Austin
  19. Kyrenia De Leon from Philadelphia, PA attending Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
  20. Leslie Rangel from Greenville, SC attending University of South Carolina-Columbia
  21. Lesslie Gonzalez Valdovinos from Waddell, AZ attending Arizona State University- Tempe
  22. Martin Morales Reyes from Richmond, CA attending University of San Francisco
  23. Melly Perez from Austin, TX attending Austin Community College District
  24. Natalie Ochoa from Pharr, TX attending Texas State University
  25. Nelson Lopez from Houston, TX attending University of Houston
  26. Ricky Paguay from Dover, NJ attending Universal Technical Institute-Bloomfield
  27. Rolando Serrano from Miami Lakes, FL attending Florida International University
  28. Sandra Garcia Fierros from Whiteville, SC attending University of South Carolina-Columbia
  29. Trinity Ogaldez from Chicago, IL attending North Park University
  30. Wilhelm Licht from Houston, TX attending University of Houston-Clear Lake

The McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship is one of many company initiatives created to educate the next generation of youth. This includes the Black & Positively Golden® Scholarships for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship program for Asian and Pacific-Islander American students. Additionally, the Archways to Opportunity® program for crew gives eligible employees at participating U.S. restaurants the ability to earn a high school diploma, receive upfront college tuition assistance, access free education/career advising services and learn English as a second language.

Hispanic college-bound high school seniors and parents who are interested in learning more about the resources offered in English and Spanish, and for details on how to apply for the McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship, are encouraged to visit mcdonalds.com/hacer. The next scholarship application period opens on October 18, 2022 and runs through February 6, 2022.

[1]  Excelencia in Education. (2019, April). Latinos in Higher Education: Compilation of Fast Facts. https://www.edexcelencia.org/Excelencia-Compilation-Fast-Facts ; Unidos US. (2021, September). DREAMS INTERRUPTED: A Mixed-Methods Research Project Exploring Latino College Completion. https://www.unidosus.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/unidosus_unc_dreaminterrupted.pdf

[2] National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (2022, May). Overview: Spring 2022 Enrollment Estimates. https://nscresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/CTEE_Report_Spring_2022.pdf

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McDonald's has always been committed to feeding and fostering the communities it serves, and the people that make up those communities.

McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald's approximately 13,500 U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by independent business owners. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and  Facebook at www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.

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