Hispanic Scholarship Fund
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The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) provides scholarships to Latino students, as well as related support services.
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#HSFstories HSF Parent: Bobby Baiza, San Antonio, Texas Mr. Baiza was born in San Antonio, Texas, one of three siblings. His father was an Army Air Force paratrooper during the Second World War, who later went on to join an automotive distributor as a warehouse foreman. His mother was a housewife for many years before becoming a salesperson. Though neither completed a high school education, and despite a lack of enrichment opportunities in his community as he was growing up, he says their integrity, strong faith, and commitment to education kept him focused on his studies. He attended St. Mary’s University, where he majored in English and Physical Education and earned a certification in teaching. He then attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where he completed a certificate in mid-management administration. Today, as an assistant principal with 33 years of experience in the field of education, he is a firm advocate of the importance of higher education and encourages young students, particularly the Hispanic and low-income students he serves on a day-to-day basis, to pursue a college education. He has passed on his enthusiasm to his two sons, including Mathew Baiza, who is currently attending Stanford University, where he is pursuing a dual bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Sociology, with the help of an HSF Scholarship. And he says the Scholarship has allowed his son to focus on his studies, as well as given him an academic target and financial incentive to continue to achieve. “The confidence that HSF has given my son has positively impacted our family’s financial and academic outlook,” he said. He has a practical message for students preparing to attend college: “The best investment you can make in yourself is to look beyond the cost of college and believe that the diploma you earn from a college or university will return the greatest yield in networks and opportunities which will present the best possibility for your growth in your future. Don’t sell yourself short of your dream.”
::. The Gates Millennium Scholars .::
High School Seniors: We look forward to reviewing your GMS Applications soon! All three forms (nominee, nominator, and recommender forms) must be submitted by the January 13 deadline for your application to be considered—no exceptions. Please contact us if you have questions. Good luck!
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#HSFstories HSF Scholar: Jacqueline Chavez, Political Science and International Studies, French, and Business, University of Florida Ms. Chavez was born and raised in Bartow, Florida, the middle child of three. Her parents were born and raised in and around Mexico City and immigrated to the U.S. Her father works as a machine operator for a major packing company, and her mother worked as a housekeeper until recently, when she was sidelined by illness. She says her parents have been a tremendously positive influence on her life, teaching her to never give up, love herself, to chase after her dreams, and to be loyal to her faith. But she also says that she has had to grow up fast, for someone her age. In addition to having undergone an operation, at a young age, to remove a tumor, her parents have had to rely on her as an interpreter, for example in helping them find jobs, translating for them at doctor’s appointments, and sometimes even advocating for them in disputes with employers. Today, she attends the University of Florida, where she is pursuing a dual major in Political Science and International Studies, as well as a dual minor in French and Business. An HSF-Gates Millennium Scholarship is helping her work toward her goals. The Gates Millennium Scholarship program is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and provides full tuition and expenses to the top 1,000, high-potential, low-income minority students in the U.S. She indicates that without her scholarship, college would have been out of reach, financially. But she adds that her scholarship has done much more for her than that. “At times, life is a game of chutes and ladders,” she said, “and I admit there have been moments I thought I could never climb back up. As I have gotten to know myself more in college, I now know that my biggest obstacle has not been facing discrimination or racism, but overcoming how I view myself…HSF has shown me all that I am capable of.” She maintains an active schedule on and off campus. Currently, the vice president and co-campus leader for the University of Florida Gates Millennium Chapter, she also regularly returns to her home community to host outreach events to inform high school seniors about HSF and the Gates Millennium Scholarship program. She serves as the historian of Nueva Alianza, a Spanish youth group for Catholic students, and is one of the violinists for the group’s choir. Additionally, she is a member of the mock trial team for the Pre-Legal Honor Society, is starting her own mentoring program, and was recently selected to help create a Hispanic center for culture and faith. When asked what her next steps are after college, she responded: “I used to say it was law school, but if people really want to know… my answer is that I want to be the President of the United States.” She expresses gratitude to HSF for helping her raise her sights. “Today, thanks to HSF, I know that I was born to be a leader,” she said. “Little by little, I am embracing the talents God has given me; I am ready to make a positive change in this world.”
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#HSFstories Latino All Stars: Tony Jimenez, Founder, President & CEO, MicroTech Mr. Jimenez was born into a middle-class family in Virginia. The middle of three children, he traces his roots to Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Spain. His father’s work in the U.S. Navy required the family to move frequently, around the country and across the globe. Although his father, who hadn’t completed high school, had implored him to pursue a college education, he instead chose to enlist in the Army, at the age of eighteen. He ended his 24-year career as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, as a decorated combat veteran who served two tours in the Middle East, three tours in Europe, and a number of deployments to Africa, Haiti, and Central America. After leaving the military, he took a day job as a Colorado Public Safety Officer, and attended school at night. He persevered and graduated with honors, at the top of his class, earning a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Business Management from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, which he attended as a scholarship student. He went on to earn a Master of Art’s degree in Computers and Information Systems from Missouri’s Webster University, and then a Master of Science degree in Acquisition Management from Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) in Melbourne. After completing his education, and driven by thoughts of becoming an entrepreneur, he accepted a position at Unisys, a global IT company, where he hoped to get exposure to the inner workings of small business ventures. The plan worked, and the knowledge he gained ultimately led him to quit his job, borrow against his house, take money from his retirement accounts, and start his own company—Micro Technologies, LLC (MicroTech). The company provides technology integration, telecom, and cloud solutions, as well as product solutions for commercial enterprises and the public sector. Besides being an active member of the technology industry, he is also an advocate for the Latino, Veteran, Minority, and Small Business communities. He serves as a member of numerous boards, including George Mason University’s Board of Visitors, the U.S. Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprise, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.- Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, the Latino Donor Collaborative, the Partnership for a New American Economy, and the American Film Institute, for which he served as the Vice Chairman. Among the many honors and awards he has received, Hispanic Business Magazine named him one of the "Most Influential Hispanics in the Nation” and the Minority Enterprise Executive Council recognized him as one of the "Most Powerful Minority Men in Business.” In an interview with Executive Leaders Radio, he gave the following advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “A good degree is certainly important, but … you have to love what you do and do it better than anyone else.... Lay out your plan, and don’t be satisfied with mediocrity. People take this for granted, but the beauty is that we have the opportunity to do this in America.”
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#HSFstories HSF Staff: Julie Hite, Chief Development Officer, Hispanic Scholarship Fund Julie Hite was born in Saudi Arabia where her father was a geologist for a major oil company. Her family returned to the U.S. when she was five years old and lived in a rural farming community in the Pacific Northwest. She has two older siblings, one brother and one sister. She and her siblings worked in the family news agency business founded by her grandfather, for the majority of their youth, starting in grade school. She says that her father, who had taken over the business by then, felt it was important for his children to learn what having a job is all about, and to work their way through college, in order to better understand the value of an education. Julie was a full-time student, waitressed, taught gymnastics, and competed in her sport throughout high school. She attended the University of Washington where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. With thoughts of eventually going to law school, she joined a Seattle law firm where she started as a receptionist, before ultimately becoming a paralegal—work she continued doing for several years. She says the insights she gained as a paralegal helped her realize that law was not her passion. A new door opened when she took a position in a law firm as Marketing Coordinator. She enjoyed the work and rose through the ranks in marketing and communication, eventually launching her own consulting practice. It was through her practice, which included the Board of the Boys and Girls Clubs among its clientele, that she ultimately found her calling in the not-for-profit realm. Her work with Boys and Girls Club eventually dominated her practice, and, in 2007 she joined the Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood as Director of Resource Development, Marketing and Communications. She says the position allowed her to hone her skills in educational fundraising and form important relationships in the corporate and philanthropic communities with leaders such as Disney, Farmers, Union Bank, and Microsoft. Her next stop was the Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles, as the Director of Development, Marketing and Communication. In that role, she helped generate the financial support for economically disadvantaged students – 85% of whom where Hispanic – to attend Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Today she is HSF’s Chief Development Officer and says she can trace the path that led to HSF, all the way back to her childhood and her family’s core belief in equal education. “I want my children to grow up in a world of opportunity – for everyone,” she adds. “In the last decade, we have made much progress in leveling the playing field for educational resources, but there is so much more to be done.” With a deep and personal understanding of the financial challenge of earning a college degree, she urges students and parents to stay the course, at all costs. “There is no greater financial investment in one's future,” she says, “than a college degree.”
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#HSFstories HSF Alumni: Rosie Rios, Treasurer of the United States Ms. Rios was one of nine children who were raised by their mother, in a single-parent household in Hayward, California. Her parents had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, in the 1950’s. In an interview published on the CNN Politics website last July, she stated that her mother “is a survivor” who taught her children that education is the key to a better future. “My mom always emphasized education,” she said, “it was ingrained in every single one of us.” She was the first in her family to go out of state to college, attending Harvard University, with the help of an HSF Scholarship. She earned her bachelor’s degree there, in Sociology and Romance Languages and Literature. After graduating, she worked for a reinsurance company as a commercial property underwriter and then served a number of California municipalities, including Union City, where she was the city’s Redevelopment Agency Manager; San Leandro, as a development specialist; as well as Fremont and Oakland, as Director of Economic Development. She went on to become a principal partner at Red River Associates, a firm specializing in economic development, particularly for small cities and public agencies, and then Managing Director of Investments at MacFarlane Partners. She subsequently took a leave from MacFarlane to serve on the Treasury-Federal Reserve transition team following the 2008 election. In 2009, Ms. Rios was appointed the 43rd Treasurer of the United States by President Obama. In that role, she has direct oversight over the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and Fort Knox, and is a key liaison with the Federal Reserve. As a top government official, she has been passionate about how Main Street fares in the economic recovery. And she is an active advocate of woman advancing as executives, in the field of finance. Another passion of hers is likely to be featured in history books for many generations to come. Shortly after being sworn in as Treasurer, she began to campaign behind the scenes to put the image of a woman on a U.S. currency denomination. Her efforts led the announcement in June 2015 that a woman’s image will appear, for the first time, on a redesign of the $10 note, to be unveiled in 2020. She was inducted into HSF’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 2011, where she was recognized with the Triunfador Award for “raising the bar.”
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#HSFstories HSF Partners: Ana Valdez, Executive Director, Latino Donor Collaborative Ms. Valdez was born and raised in Mexico City, the eldest of three siblings. She says that when she was a child, her grandfather instilled in her that it’s good to “always do things differently,” instead of just following the crowd. Thus, while many of her peers got married at a young age, attended local colleges, or pursued fields of study that offered limited opportunity, she felt empowered to chase bigger dreams, from pursuing a more demanding education, to living in other countries and getting to know other cultures. She says she also developed a strong sense, early on, that she needed to leave the world a better place. A commercial for a water conservation campaign she saw at age 14 showed her that marketing can be a valuable tool. She attended the prestigious Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (also known as ITESM and Tec de Monterrey), driving 2 ½ or more hours to get to and from campus each day. The reward was a bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing. After working for Nielsen and Banamex, she moved to Madrid, Spain, where she earned her master's degree in International Relations from the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset. She then went to work for the United Nations’ Commission for Human Rights in Geneva, and then the White House, where she worked for the Clinton Administration. Her next move was to Los Angeles, where, along with her husband, she founded Valdez Productions and Valdez Consulting, which provide media content and platforms, marketing, and political strategy to American businesses and organizations interested in the Latino market. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Latino Donor Collaborative, a non-partisan, not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization with the mission to advance accurate perceptions of Latinos and ensure their integration into American society at every level. The organization, whose programs span media and entrepreneurial development, is dedicated to “rebuilding the positive perception of American Latinos, and advancing a more accurate portrayal of the community in media.” In this role, she leads the operation, programs, communications, fundraising, and all aspects of the organization. She has served on the boards of numerous corporate and non-profit organizations, including Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP), Southern California Public Radio, American Public Media, and SiTV Cable Channel, among others. She sees many parallels between HSF and the Latino Donor Collaborative. “Both organizations strive to empower Latinos in every way, and we at the LDC believe that education is one of the most important aspects of it,” she said, and added this: “HSF is indispensable and vital for our community! The work HSF does empowers Latino kids to achieve more, and it’s an institution that provides not only money but mentorship, support, example, inspiration, security. It is almost a 'home' for students that otherwise may not have access to information and ad-hoc advice, based on specific needs of the community.”
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#HSFstories HSF Leaders: Lisa Garcia Quiroz, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Time Warner Inc; President, Time Warner Foundation; Vice Chair, HSF Board of Directors Ms. Garcia Quiroz grew up on Staten Island, New York the daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and a Mexican father. She says her parents and grandparents ingrained in her that a quality education is the key to having a better life. She set her sights on attending Harvard University, where she became the first graduate from her high school to have done so. Her work as a sociology major had her heavily involved in the Latino community, leading her acquaintances to believe that she was destined for a career as an advocate for underrepresented communities or as a civil rights attorney. But when she graduated, instead of attending law school, she went to work in the Harvard admissions office, where she assisted with minority recruitment. Her next stop was Harvard Business School, where she earned an MBA, with the help of an HSF scholarship. “The Hispanic Scholarship Fund provided me the opportunity to complete my master’s degree at Harvard, and I am eternally grateful,” she said. Today, she is Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Time Warner Inc. and President of Time Warner Foundation, the company’s philanthropic arm. Her mandate is to ensure that Time Warner’s workforce is reflective of the cross-cultural audience that it services, and to oversee Time Warner’s philanthropic outreach. Since 2004, she has worked on the company’s philanthropic strategy, resulting in a number of original programs. These have fostered diverse new talent, built new audiences, and helped make college more accessible to all talented youth. Before joining Time Warner’s corporate division, Ms. Garcia Quiroz worked at Time Inc., where she launched two businesses that identified and successfully served new markets: People en Español and Time for Kids. She was recently nominated by President Obama, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, to serve on the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Educator Jaime Escalante Being Honored in Postage Stamp
HSF congratulates the family of legendary Latino educator Jamie Escalante who is being acknowledged by the USPS with a postage stamp this year. Of the many considered, he is one of the 9 people who will be honored this year. We’re sure that his legacy will continue to inspire Hispanic youth for decades to come.
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#HSFstories HSF Student: Alexa Trujillo, PUC Early College Academy for Leaders and Scholars, Los Angeles, CA Alexa was born and raised in Glendale, CA, the eldest of three children, her parents immigrants to the U.S. from Mexico. Her father works for a local dry cleaner and her mother, as a waitress in a catering business. While neither had the opportunity to attend college, she says their persistence and dedication, particularly during times of financial crisis, motivate her to achieve and to serve as a role model for her younger siblings. “My parents have done the impossible to keep our family on our feet,” she said. “All they want in life is to see my siblings and I as professionals.” She also said that a great part of what drives her is her desire to give them the life they did not have the opportunity to build for themselves. She recalls how a particularly trying period in her childhood inspired her decision to go to college. At the age of 12, her father lost his job, which led to her family losing its home. “Knowing that my family would not have somewhere to sleep frightened me,” she said. But she adds that it also gave her the resolve to pursue a higher education. Today, as a student at PUC Early College Academy for Leaders and Scholars, Alexa maintains a busy schedule packed with classes and activities. In addition to carrying a full course load, she serves as Secretary of her campus’ Associated Student Body, and is a member of the Book Club, the Art Club, and the Running Club. She notes that her membership in the latter enabled her to compete in the Los Angeles Marathon, even though she had not been athletic before joining the club. She also tutors her peers in math and volunteers at her local middle and elementary schools, to tutor younger students and to inform them about—and build their confidence in—pursuing a college education. Her goal is to attend a top institution and, one day, to become a pediatrician serving children with Down syndrome. She says this aspiration was inspired through her volunteer work, after she met and tutored a child with the disorder; an experience she also credits with teaching her to love life more than ever. Recently, she participated in HSF’s 2015 Youth Leadership Institute, a four-day, overnight conference that gives outstanding Latino high school juniors the practical tools they need to set a course for success in college and career. She says the experience gave her the confidence she needs to apply to top colleges, Ivy League institutions and other private schools. Her advice for students preparing to attend college is, “…do not stop fighting for your achievements. They should continue every step of the way because, it may be tough, but the outcome is beautiful.”
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
High School Seniors: Don’t forget to submit your GMS Application as soon as you can! Do not wait until the deadline of January 13, 2016! Contact us should you have questions. Good luck finishing and submitting your complete application!
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#HSFstories HSF Scholar: Joseph Benitez, Human Biology, The University of Texas at Austin Mr. Benitez was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, an only child of Mexican Japanese descent. His father was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. His mother was born in Kentucky and raised in El Paso, Texas. His father had been a foam fabricator, prior to a prolonged period of being unemployed. His mother worked as a human resources manager for a major retailer for twenty years, until advanced diabetes prevented her from working and, subsequently, took her life early in 2014. He says losing his mother to diabetes a week before starting his spring term as a freshman in college had a profound impact on his life. He became more determined than ever to complete his higher education and, ultimately, to pursue advances in diabetes and its prevention through research in the field of pharmaceuticals. In addition to having to cope with his mother’s declining health, as he was growing up, he also had to contend with two disabilities he has had since birth: severe hearing loss in one ear, and partial, in the other, as well as a deformity of his right arm. He says he found ways to work around both. Learning to read lips and use of a hearing aid and some sign language were pivotal. And, his own words describe an unwillingness to let issues with his right arm stop him from moving forward with all life has to offer: “I needed to adapt new strategies,” he explained, “in order to complete certain tasks in a different way, such as playing the cello while holding the bow at a different place.” He is currently in his junior year of college at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is completing his bachelor’s degree in Human Biology, with a concentration in research. This has been made possible with the help of an HSF-Gates Millennium Scholarship. Sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the HSF-Gates Millennium Scholarship program provides full college tuition and expenses to the top 1,000, high-potential, low-income minority students in the U.S. He is very proud of having received the award. “By being selected I was given an opportunity to pursue my biggest career aspirations, so that I can be able to give back to my community to the very best of my ability,” he said. He was also one of the top 99 Scholars in HSF’s 2015 Scholarship class invited to attend the Fund’s first National Leadership Conference (NLC) last summer. NLC is an annual event that provides the top HSF Scholars in the current class an inside track to academic and professional excellence, through a combination of mentoring, professional insights, and career guidance. “NLC gave me the tools necessary to prepare myself, not only in my academic studies, but in the professional world,” he said. “It allowed me to better create resumes, develop strong elevator pitches, [find] a mentor to help guide me in my goals, and…land my dream job after graduating from a university.” After college, his goal is to pursue a PhD in Biology and then to enter the field of diabetes research. As a Gates Millennium Ambassador, he has an opportunity to pay what he has learned forward by visiting high schools to encourage students to pursue higher education and to raise awareness about the Gates Millennium Scholarship program. His advice to students preparing to attend college is to have determination, not only when it comes to academic life, but also in their personal lives. “They shouldn't give up on the dreams, and if they get knocked down, [they should] pick themselves up and continue on their path,” he said. “If they don't, they aren't living life to the fullest or pushing themselves to be the very best person they can be.”
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