Did you know that you could get a scholarship from the Taco Bell Foundation (yes, from us) for something you’re really passionate about? Like film or education, or even design? The Live Más Scholarship is not based on your grades or how athletic you are. No essays, no test scores. The Taco Bell Foundation is looking for students who are driven to turn their passions into a career, and make a difference in their community.
This year, the Taco Bell Foundation awarded more than $4.5 million in scholarships to the next generation of innovators, creators, and dreamers. These kids are so amazing that we had to share some of their stories. Here are 10 Live Más scholars from the class of 2019 who are bound to change the world:
Daisy C. | Cinematic Arts Daisy is an aspiring writer and director from Hawthorne, California. Daisy hopes to continue her studies at the University of Southern California so that she can create films that create awareness and pride for underrepresented audiences. Where do we get in line for tickets?
Kwame A. | Entrepreneurship Kwame is determined to make a difference in the world through entrepreneurship. He’s worked hard to bring awareness about human trafficking to his community. He went as far as speaking on CNN about the issue! Um, can we be Kwame when we grow up? He is currently a college freshman pursuing a degree in international business and hopes to work for a global nonprofit upon graduating.
Julian A. | Mathematics Julian aspires to become a teacher and wants to pursue a degree in mathematics. After one of his teachers took an interest in him, it inspired Julian to improve himself through academics and introspection. He hopes to make this kind of difference in his future students' lives. We can already tell he’s going to do big things.
Sara F. | Branding Sara dreams of shaping the brands of tomorrow as an art director. After completing her bachelor's degree, she wants to continue her education with a masters in branding. Sara says that through branding she “wants to cause people to stop and think about what they buy, where they go, and what they do.” Count us in.
Rhys C. | Dramatic Arts Rhys’ love for performing started in elementary school when he was cast in a musical. He strives to make his way to Broadway upon graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre. Rhys truly believes that “your background doesn’t define your future,” and hopes to inspire others with his passion. So much yes.
Rafael B. | Culinary Arts Rafael is planning to earn a hospitality degree from Cornell University and use it to confront food insecurity. With an entrepreneurial spirit & deep appreciation for the power of education, Rafael understands the unifying power of food to support communities and connect people. We can’t wait to see the change that he cooks up!
Allison B. | Medicine Since her childhood, Allison knew she wanted to be a doctor, even making everyone call her “Dr. Allison.” During undergrad, she’s worked with nonprofits, which she hopes to continue post-grad. Allison will be attending medical school in the fall, getting her one step closer to reaching her dream of becoming a doctor.
Jane R. | Education Jane wants to be a public school teacher with the hopes that she can teach her students to be brave and kind. She already has her own website, which offers tons of free science lessons taught by teens. In the fall, she’ll pursue a degree in global health policy and education at Princeton University. Heart and brain? You go, Jane.
Rene R. | Aerospace Engineering Rene hopes to become an aerospace engineer and dreams of developing a way to make planes more fuel efficient. He will be pursuing a degree in Aerospace Aeronautics at Penn State. Oh, and did we mention he’s an employee at a Taco Bell franchise restaurant?!
Grace W. | Cinematic Arts Grace is a future filmmaker who has been volunteering for a nonprofit organization in Papua New Guinea for the past 3 years. She hopes to attend the New York Film Academy so that she can expand her knowledge about film and media. Upon graduating, she wants to continue her passion for telling the stories of underrepresented and remote parts of the world. Talk about major inspo.
If you won a Live Mas scholarship, share it on social using #LiveMasScholarship. Also, meet the rest of the class of 2019 here.