Ford Hispanic Educational Scholarships Flourish.

High school students from Hispanic communities around the country were awarded academic scholarships in Ford Motor Company’s 8th Annual Spirit of Accomplishment Scholastic essay contest held on Ford’s Hispanic website http://www.edisonresearch.com

One lucky grand prize winner also received a new 2005 Ford Focus.

The essay contest awarded 75 high school seniors a total of $150,000 in scholarship funds. Contestants were asked to submit a 300-word essay on the following topic: “As a young adult, what do you think your generation’s contribution to society should be and why?” To participate, students were required to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. Over 9,000 applications were downloaded. “Ford recognizes the importance of a good education and the power students in coming generations will have in shaping our future,” said Steve Lyons, president of Ford Division.
“We want to inspire all students to pursue their dreams and to make positive contributions to society.”

This year’s grand prize winner was Carolina Villatoro, a senior at the School of Education and Social Services at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center in Dallas, Texas. Villatoro was awarded the top prize of a new 2005 Ford Focus and a $2,000 scholarship for her essay of generational equality, fairness, peace and prosperity. Villatoro aspires to become a teacher.

“I am extremely thankful of Ford Motor Company for helping me get one step closer to achieving my dream of being the first member of my family to attend a four-year university and am truly excited about my new 2005 Focus.” said Carolina Villatoro. “The Spirit of Accomplishment scholastic essay contest was a great opportunity for me to express my hopes and dreams for my generation. I hope we all can embrace the legacy of those who came before us, stand up for our beliefs and embody the ideals of equality, fairness, peace, prosperity and extending opportunities for future generations.”

A panel of Ford representatives judged the essays. Submissions were analyzed based on originality, relevance to theme, clarity and grammar. Ford called upon several professors from distinguished universities to select the grand prize winner. Villatoro’s entry was awarded top honors for having the best overall score from all the entries.

The 2004 professor judges include Dr. Douglas Chalmer’s, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at Columbia University; Dr. Yvonne Yarbro-Bejarano , Professor & Chair of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program for the Center of Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University; Dr. Ricardo Ramírez, Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California and Dr. Yolanda Martínez-San Miguel, Associate Professor of Romance Languages at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Spirit of Accomplishment Scholastic contest began in 1997 as part of Ford’s ongoing commitment to support the Hispanic community. The scholarship contest was founded with the goal of assisting and encouraging young adults to purse higher education after high school graduation. Over the past eight years, Ford has awarded more than $1 million in scholarship funds to more than 600 students nationwide.