Univision announces Becas Univision scholarship program.

Univision Communications Inc. announced it would award $300,000 to students around the nation through its new scholarship program “Becas Univision” (Univision Scholarships). Managed by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), Univision’s new multi-year scholarship program will award scholarships to eligible Hispanic students, as part of the company’s highly successful, multi-platform education initiative, Es el momento (The Moment is Now).

“We are proud to build on Univision’s commitment to education with ‘Becas Univision’ and provide the leaders of tomorrow another tool essential to their post secondary studies,” said Randy Falco, president and chief executive officer, Univision Communications Inc. “As we look to continue building a solid pipeline of community leaders whose contributions will be instrumental to our country’s prosperity and economic success, this program further underscores the importance of increasing educational attainment.”

“As an extension of Univision’s education efforts to help bridge the education gap affecting our nation, we are thrilled to present ‘Becas Univision’ and invest in deserving young men and women to help make their college aspirations a reality,” said Cesar Conde, president, Univision Networks.

Beginning in 2012, “Becas Univision” will award scholarships to students around the country. Students of Hispanic origin who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, who have overcome strong obstacles and who are involved in extracurricular activities will be eligible for the scholarship. Additional information and requirements are available online at www.eselmomento.com.

The launch of the new scholarship program was announced on Univision’s morning show “Despierta América” (Wake-Up America) during the company’s first-ever national education week “¡Edúcate, Es el momento!” (Educate yourself, The Moment is Now). The seven-day call to action effort (October 16-22, 2011) features a town hall, special programming at the network and local levels, and local workshops and phone banks. The weeklong activities will help better equip Hispanic families with the tools and information they need to successfully navigate the education system and the financial process so they can guide their children to academic success.

The ongoing efforts of organizations from all over the nation have had an impact as Pew Hispanic reports that Hispanic college enrollment spiked by 24 percent between 2009 and 2010. However, despite the increased in college enrollment and Census results indicating the largest population growth in the United States is being driven by the Hispanic community, research indicates that Hispanic students across the country continue lagging behind their peers in graduation rates, college completion and key areas of academic achievement. To counteract this growing education gap, “¡Edúcate, Es el momento!” education week, as part of Univision’s Es el momento continued efforts, aims to further increase Hispanic educational attainment and help foster a college bound culture.

For more information, please visit Univision’s Es el momento comprehensive online and mobile website, http://www.eselmomento.com, which serves as a hub for education-related news, tools and resources. The site also features a dedicated section for “¡Edúcate, Es el momento!” education week.