Southern California Hispanic Students Awarded Scholarships Thanks To Verizon Wireless

IRVINE, CA — Local Hispanic students were honored recently for their academic excellence at a luncheon hosted by Verizon Wireless and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF). Each scholar was awarded up to $2,500 through the company's support of HSF. Verizon Wireless has pledged additional support for the scholarship cycle beginning December 1.

Like many students facing financial hardship, Angelica Gonzalez may not have been able to finance her dream of a college education without the support of Verizon Wireless and HSF. Angelica is one of three daughters raised by a single mother in Carson, California. Angelica attends CSU Dominguez Hills, works two jobs to make ends meet and remains focused on completing her degree.

Another grant recipient, Natalie Mejia is also a step closer toward realizing her dreams. Raised by a teenage mother of three, Natalie is the first one in her family to graduate from high school, and the first to attend college. Despite attending a high school where fewer than 20% of her fellow seniors graduated, Natalie has big plans. They include a bachelor's degree, post graduate studies, a successful career and starting a non-profit organization for battered women in Los Angeles. She's on her way. Natalie plans to graduate from UCLA in 2010 and is preparing to attend law school or another graduate program.

"We're grateful to Verizon Wireless for their commitment to education and their continued support of our Hispanic youth," said Gary Jimenez, HSF's Director for the Southern California Region. "We are very proud of students like Angelica and Natalie who can personally attest to how these awards contribute to their success."

Verizon Wireless has contributed close to $500,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund since 2003, as part of its commitment to Latino students and future leaders. Most recently, during Hispanic Heritage Month, the company donated a portion of its sales to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

The next scholarship cycle opens on December 1st and closes on March 15, 2008. Interested students can go to www.hsf.net to complete the electronic application form.

"We want to encourage Latinos to apply for these awards," said Oscar Madrid, Associate Director of Multicultural Marketing for Verizon Wireless' West Area. "We have seen these scholarships change lives and enable dreams both at the college level as well as for students at the graduate level."

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.  

About Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Founded in 1975 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, HSF's vision is to strengthen the country by advancing college education among Hispanic Americans. In support of its mission to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees, HSF provides the Latino community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. In its 32-year history, HSF has awarded more than 82,000 scholarships worth more than $221 million to Latinos from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands attending nearly 2,000 colleges and universities.

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