McDonald's Shifts In-Person Education Workshops Online to Make Resources Available to Asian and Pacific Islander American Students and Families During COVID-19 Pandemic

The annual workshops provide APIA students and families with much-needed resources to navigate the college admissions process

(CHICAGO, Ill.) – July 8, 2020 – McDonald’s USA is kicking off its 13th annual summer Education Workshop series, virtually, as a part of its commitment to providing education and career opportunities for Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Starting this month, the 2020 Education Workshop series is being offered to help students and families navigate the intensive college application process from the safety of their homes.

For many immigrant Asian families, applying to college and for financial aid can be daunting due to language barriers. According to APIA Scholars, the nation's largest non-profit organization that provides college scholarships to APIAs, nearly two-thirds of APIA students speak a language other than English at home, and approximately 1 in 5 speak English with difficulty. There are also tremendous disparities within the APIA community, both economically and educationally, with the top 10 percent of APIAs earning more than 10 times than the bottom 10 percent. Therefore, programs like the McDonald’s Education Workshops play a crucial role in providing information and addressing the needs of the APIA community.

"We are proud to continue answering the call to help make the college application process easier for APIA families, even in the midst of a pandemic,” said Willie Cho, a Seattle, WA-based McDonald’s Owner/Operator. “Our APIA students and families need these resources now more than ever, and we are here to help provide tools and resources to help them advance academically and professionally."

The Korean-language Educational Workshop will take place on July 11. The Chinese-language Educational Workshop will take place on July 25. Additional workshops are being planned for fall.

Attendees will enjoy seminars and talks led by education professionals focusing on such topics as college admissions and financial aid. Even with the shift to a virtual platform, attendees can expect to receive the same important content in addition to new sessions that address the changes to standardized testing requirements from colleges. Information on financial resources, including the McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship in partnership with APIA Scholars, will also be provided.

The APIA Education Workshops underscore McDonald’s commitment to educating future leaders. Other education programs include the HACER® National Scholarship for Hispanic students and the McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Scholarships for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. McDonald’s has also increased education access to over 55,000 and awarded more than $100M in tuition assistance for restaurant employees through Archways to Opportunity.

For more information about the McDonald’s Education Workshops, or to register, visit http://bit.ly/EduWkshp.

About McDonald’s USA

McDonald’s USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to nearly 25 million customers every day. Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter @McDonalds and Facebook. www.facebook.com/mcdonalds.