McDonald’s Celebrates 17th Year Of HACER Scholarship Program.

McDonald’s is known for dishing out great value deals and last Friday was no exception as area McDonald’s owner/operators served up $2,000 scholarships to 10 outstanding high school seniors to be used at the college or university of their choice. The family of McDonald’s owner/operators in the greater San Antonio area awarded 10 college-bound young men and women with the Ronald McDonald House Charities/Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (RMHC/HACER) Scholarship during a special awards luncheon at the Hilton Palacio del Rio hotel in downtown San Antonio.

Students were selected after meeting various criteria that included top academic standing, high SAT scores, extra-curricular achievement and financial need. Some will be first generation college students, others have learned English as a second language and many have known poverty and family hardships, yet each of these graduating seniors has faced every challenge head on with fierce determination and commitment. They are grounded with strong Hispanic roots, proud of their ancestors’ will to make a new life for future generations, eager to forge ahead and create a name for themselves in their respective careers and committed to giving back to their families and to their communities.

“The success that this group of young men and women has achieved is remarkable,” stated Jesse Guajardo, a local McDonald’s owner/operator and HACER committee member. “They have reached high personal goals, overcoming barriers along the way and we are honored to support them with these scholarships and proud to be celebrating the 17h year of HACER in the greater San Antonio area.”

This year’s RMHC/HACER Scholarship recipients are:

Dariela Almeda
Del Rio High School

Denise Lambert
Boerne High School

Claudia A. Martinez
Incarnate Word High School

Erica Martinez
Incarnate Word High School

Sammy Morales
Fox Tech High School

Adriana H. Perez
Floresville High School

Roxanne Perez
Judson High School

Richard Sanchez
South San Antonio West Campus High School

Elizabeth Uriegas
South San Antonio High School

Laura Varela
Highlands High School

The RMHC/HACER Scholarship Program is a program of Ronald McDonald House Charities Global and its U.S. Local Chapters. Since the program began in 1985, over 8,000 Hispanic students have received more than $8.5 million dollars in scholarships to support their education. In the 2002-2003 academic year alone, RMHC/HACER will award more than $1.5 million to support the education aspirations of students in more than 40 markets in the United States and Puerto Rico. In the greater San Antonio area, HACER began awarding scholarships in 1986 and has dispersed more than $300,000 to 180 students over the last 17 years. RMHC/HACER is supported through the efforts of neighborhood McDonald’s owner/operators, local and national Ronald McDonald House Charities and the McDonald’s Corporation.