Borderland high school seniors to be awarded McDonald’s El Paso Scholarships
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- Today, several high school seniors in the Borderland will be recognized for their academic achievements with scholarships aimed at kickstarting their higher education journeys.
Up to $100,000 will be awarded to 18 local students who will be starting their college careers at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) or El Paso Community College (EPCC) this fall, 2024. This is part of the McDonald's El Paso Scholarships, a program that has been helping students since 1985, reaching thousands of graduating seniors over nearly four decades.
Richard Castro, the owner of McDonald's in El Paso and founder of the scholarship, emphasized his strong commitment to giving back to the community through education. He encourages all seniors to continue their education after high school and pursue some form of higher education, "There are many surveys that tell us that people who get post-secondary education and a college degree will have the opportunity to earn more than $1,000,000 over their professional career. So just that alone should be plenty of encouragement," Castro told ABC7.
The scholarship amounts will vary for each student, with some receiving full tuition coverage for their first year of college.
Castro noted that while the El Paso area has a high percentage of students enrolling in higher education, not all complete their educational careers. His goal is to improve these numbers by encouraging students to work hard and dream big, “The most important thing is to believe in yourself and understand that the more education you have, the more opportunities you will have to be successful. So I definitely encourage this year's seniors, as well as future seniors, to take their education seriously and look toward the future,” he says.
The 18 recipients will be awarded tonight, May 14, 2024 at the Starlight Event Center at 6 p.m.
Incoming high school seniors are encouraged to apply for next year’s scholarship. Below are the application requirements:
EPCC:
Scholarship Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
- Be a graduating high school senior
- Have a minimum 2.7 Grade Point Average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
- Be eligible to enroll and attend El Paso Community College full-time (12+ credit hours) during each semester.
- Enroll and attend El Paso Community College in Fall 2024 in a degree-seeking program (verification needed as scholarship funds are paid directly to the school)
- Complete and submit a 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the award year
- Disclose other scholarship programs that you have applied for
- Have financial need
- Submit an essay regarding academic goals
UTEP:
Scholarship Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident
- Be a graduating high school senior
- Have and maintain a minimum 2.7 Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Be accepted to and attend UTEP in the upcoming fall semester as an undergraduate student (verification needed as scholarship funds are paid directly to the school)
- Be enrolled full-time each semester
- Have financial need
- Complete and submit a 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the award year
- Submit an essay regarding academic goals
