Press Release

 

Seattle, WA. (March 06, 2008) – The Hispanic Business Student Association (HBSA) of the University of Washington (UW) announced the application opening for the annual student scholarship program for students interested in Business who are dedicated to advocating the advancement of the Latino community.

 

The HBSA will award $1000 scholarships to two exceptional students at the University of Washington. HBSA would like to recognize diverse student leaders for their outstanding contributions to the University and to the Latino community. The awards will be presented to the recipients at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.

 

The Scholarship Program was established three years ago to provide students with opportunities that would enable them to reach their business career goals. The number of Hispanic students at the University of Washington Michael G. Foster Business School Undergraduate Program does not reflect the growing population in the Northwest region. Furthermore, many students in the past have been forced to suspend their education at the Business School program because they were not able to meet their financial needs.

 

The idea for this program stemmed after members of the group, Connie Cerna, Tatiana Deras, and Yaneth González noticed the financial struggle that many of their fellow students and friends faced, which resulted in students withdrawing from the program. The majority of these students fail to return and only a small percentage are able to return to finish their education years later.

 

A series of fundraisers were organized throughout the school year; however, the Salsa Havana Nights have proven to be the most profitable, raising over $2,000 per night. “We know Latinos enjoy going out at night and dancing, so we thought about this activity as a way to unite the Latino community, have fun, but most importantly, contribute to a good cause," said Keily Hernández, HBSA Chief External Relations Officer.

 

In organizing their fundraisers, not only was it important for HBSA students to spearhead the program and establish a solid foundation, but also to gain experience in running a campaign, marketing their efforts, and learning great leadership skills while contributing to their community. In doing so, their marketing efforts gained momentum, “it has been amazing to put all this together, every quarter we get more people to come out, enjoy some Salsa dancing and support us” stated Karin Avellaneda, HBSA Chief Marketing Officer.

 

HBSA achievements would not have been possible without the generous help of its sponsors; Target, US Bank, Boeing, and the Latino entertainment-media company, Seattle Latin Nights.

 

The application package will allow students to share their story with the scholarship committee as well as showcase their educational and professional talents. Beginning April 1st, 2008, students will be able to access the scholarship application at www.hbsauw.com. Future plans for this program entail raising enough funds to create an endowment that will allow for future generations to pursue their goals and accomplish their dreams.

 

HBSA would like to thank the Scholarship Committee members : Rosario Arias de Carroll from Plaza Bank, Dave Gandara (HBSA Alumni) from Moneytree Corp, Raul Anaya from University of Washington, Shannon McIntyre from Washington State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Luis P. Martinez from Microsoft.

 

Press Contact:
Karín E. Avellaneda
Chief Marketing Officer, HBSA
cmo@hbsauw.com