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Taco Bell's Graduate to Go to be featured at NBA All-Star game

February 20, 2012

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens today announced that it will again offer a Graduate To Go experience for teens at the Taco Bell Skills Challenge during the NBA All-Star 2012 in Orlando later this month.

In partnership with NBA Cares, each Taco Bell Skills Challenge player will be paired with an All-Star teen from an Orlando area Boys & Girls Club who has shown determination to stay in school despite personal obstacles.

All participating teens will receive the Graduate to Go package, which includes a behind-the-scenes tour of NBA's All-Star event; an opportunity to meet with NBA players; the chance to be on the court during the Taco Bell Skills Challenge to cheer on their NBA player; and an educational scholarship.

The teen paired with the winning Taco Bell Skills Challenge player will also receive a $25,000 educational scholarship, all courtesy of the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens.

Last year's Graduate to Go winners, who took part in the 2011 Taco Bell Skills Challenge at NBA All-Star in Los Angeles, include:

• Karen Batani ($30,000 winner; Boys & Girls Club of L.A. Harbor), who is in the process of applying to San Diego State University, Cal State Easy Bay and Marquette University;
• Violet Miehle ($10,000 winner; Boys & Girls Club of Malibu), who became a finalist for Pacific Region Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year. She is now in her freshman year at the University of Redlands, majoring in education with a focus in special education;
• Abigail Zepeda ($5,000 winner, Boys & Girls Club of San Pedro), who is now a freshman at USC, majoring in sociology;
• Daniel Diaz ($5,000 winner, Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard), the 2011 Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme, is in his first semester at Ventura College; and
• Xavier Butler (18 years old, Challengers Boys & Girls Club), who is now a freshman at Santa Monica College and is still pursuing a basketball scholarship.

Graduate to Go is an initiative developed by the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens to motivate students to stay in school. In 2012, the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens will distribute more than $3.5 million in local grants to more than 300 teen-serving organizations throughout the country.

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