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Taco Bell Foundation announces first 40 Live Más Scholarship recipients

The Taco Bell Foundation announced its first 40 Live Más Scholarship recipients who will receive a total of $200,000 in post-high school educational scholarships.

March 7, 2016

The Taco Bell Foundation announced its first 40 Live Más Scholarship recipients who will receive a total of $200,000 in post-high school educational scholarships. Young people selected represent 21 states across the country with a wide variety of passions, including filmmaking, medicine, computer science, dance, comedy, music, fashion, the environment, art, design, and animation, according to a company press release.

The Live Más Scholarship is an opportunity to support the "other kid," the release stated, whose passions and aspirations may not fall into "academic" or "athletic" qualifying categories of traditional scholarship programs.

"At the time I applied there was not a lot of positivity around me and I didn't think I could go after it," said Justin Susan, $5,000 Live Más Scholarship recipient. "So many things have happened in my life that I am usually emotionless - but this is such a blessing to hear I won. Now, I can get my novel published."

"Growing up a military kid, my routine changes a lot and dancing is really the only thing constant in my life. It's what I do best," said Khorri Tinson, $10,000 Live Más Scholarship recipient. "Applying for the Live Más Scholarship allowed me to express what I do every day. No other scholarship asks you about your passion."

In 2016, the Live Más Scholarship will award a total of $1 million to 220 young adults looking to find their place in the world and make their passions a reality. Each scholarship recipient will receive between $2,500 and $25,000 in funding to be used for any accredited post-high school/post-secondary educational programs, including accredited two- and four-year college, universities, vocational-technical and trade schools.

"The spirit of youth is the Taco Bell brand — young adults are who we hire, create unique food experiences for, and interact with every day," said Frank Tucker, chief people officer, Taco Bell Corp and president, Taco Bell Foundation. "Simply put: America's young adults are part of our DNA. And they want to do big things. We hear that calling and believe it's our responsibility to invest in these young people and help them succeed on their unique paths. We're proud of the 40 scholarship recipients for taking a chance on themselves and we're excited for the next 180 recipients who will apply for the next phase of the scholarship."

Individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 years have another chance to earn a Live Más Scholarship. Submissions for the second phase of scholarships are due by 11:59 p.m. PT, May 27. Those applicants who were not selected during the first phase do not need to reapply and will be automatically considered in the second phase.

More info can be found about the 40 Live Más Scholarship recipients at The Feed on ta.co.