CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — McDonald’s is proud to offer its 2020 HACER® Education Tour virtually to help arm thousands of Hispanic students, parents and educators with information to help them navigate the college application process as they face the financial strain and limited access to resources brought on by the pandemic. Having kicked off in October, the workshops continue this month with dedicated student sessions, hosted by “Gentefied” actress and writer, Julissa Calderon. The tour will culminate in a combined student and parent session on Nov. 21.

By hosting the workshops digitally, more than 70,000 students are expected to tune in during the tour, a 400% increase from the 14,000 participants in 2019. Since many Hispanic students are first-generation who are managing the prospect of higher education alone, this expansion allows for even greater impact among these students, who will receive information on financial aid, writing workshops, and more during each session.

“With increased uncertainty about whether to continue their educational pursuits in today’s environment, students need resources to help them navigate the college application process now more than ever,” said Santiago Negre, HACER® scholarship committee judge, Illinois Owner/Operator, and Owner/Operator Hispanic Marketing Committee Lead.  “We’re proud to continue the HACER Education Tour this year and offer even more high school students the opportunity to learn about how to get into college, despite the challenges they may be facing.”

Now in its eighth year, the HACER® Education Tour kicked off in October with new workshops designed for counselors, teachers and parents. Youth engagement group CoolSpeak returns to the tour to motivate and inspire participants by sharing their own personal life experiences. Following the student sessions, Julissa and CoolSpeak will conduct real-time Q&A, sharing advice and encouraging messages with youth from around the country.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the McDonald’s HACER Education Tour this year. I have been an advocate for education in the Latino community for a long time and recognize the importance of sharing these college-bound resources and information with families in my community,” said Julissa Calderon. “Being a part of the tour has allowed me to share my personal education story with students from all over the country, hopefully motivating more of them to pursue a college degree and letting them know that they have resources available to help them get there.”

The McDonald’s HACER® Education Tour is one of the many initiatives making up the HACER® National Scholarship program. The McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship has awarded more than $31.5 million in scholarships to date and helped 17,060 students since its founding in 1985. It is one of the largest programs committed to college scholarships and resources for Hispanics, awarding a total of $500,000 to 30 outstanding Hispanic high-school seniors annually.

This year, McDonald’s has committed to do more to support Hispanic students through the HACER® National Scholarship. In addition to receiving scholarships, this year’s 30 winners of the 2020 HACER® National Scholarship received a “tech backpack” that included a laptop, wireless mouse, and headphones—some of the tools needed to succeed in a virtual learning environment. The company doubled its investment in the HACER program and committed $1 million toward assisting Hispanic students this academic year with an additional 100 scholarships.

Please visit www.hacertour.com to register to participate in an upcoming workshop and for more information on workshop schedules, the McDonald’s HACER® National Scholarship and additional educational resources.

ABOUT McDONALD’S
McDonald’s has always been committed to the communities it serves, and the people that make up those communities. But now they need support now more than ever, so McDonald’s is prioritizing its commitment to communities to feed and foster their futures via initiatives like the HACER National Scholarship and more.

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.

CONTACT: Nathaly Renderos, [email protected]

SOURCE McDonald’s Corporation