Nissan Honors Hispanic Scholars.

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) will honor 18 Hispanic students with scholarships during a Celebration of Achievement ceremony being held at Nissan’s headquarters in Gardena, California on Wednesday, May 11, 2005.

The students are recipients of the HSF/NNA Community College Transfer Scholarship Program created to provide financial assistance to community college students of Hispanic heritage transferring to a four-year college or university in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

“Our contribution to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund reflects Nissan’s ongoing dedication to supporting diversity and education,” said Terri Hines, senior manager, public affairs at NNA.

Many of the students have overcome obstacles and challenges before arriving at the opportunity to go to college. Francisco Franco, one of the 18 recipients, is only days away from obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC). A first generation Mexican-American, there was a point in Franco’s life when he didn’t value education. “After a while of just hanging out with neighborhood friends and not doing anything worthwhile, I decided to give college a try,” Franco said. Soon after, Franco discovered his passion for math.

Through the HSF/NNA Community College Transfer Scholarship Program, Franco and his family found an invaluable aid for purchasing the many costly textbooks required. Upon graduation, Franco aspires to assist in building environmentally friendly cars.

This year, NNA will donate $100,000 to support scholarships for recipients in California and Texas. To date, NNA has awarded 133 scholarships and has contributed nearly $700,000 to HSF since the launch of the HSF/NNA partnership in 1995.