Coca-Cola 2016 #ForTheDream Scholarship Deadline March 30th, 2016

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Dime Media and Coca-Cola, however, all opinions are my own.

It’s hard to believe that my daughter will be entering her last year of high school later this year. When I think of that I think of how soon she could be going off to college, and that makes me a little bit nervous. College is really expensive. For many families it is not even an option. When I think about how many of my daughter’s Hispanic friends families are living paycheck to paycheck it just makes me wonder how they will pay for college. We’re living in a time that for most families even financial aid is not enough to pay tuition. So many are taking out student loans, and getting into debt because of the high price of tuition. Scholarships are a great option for kids that want to go to college but maybe cannot afford it. Coca-Cola is coming together again with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to help Hispanic families achieve their college dreams and aspirations, as part of the #ForTheDream National Scholarship Program.

So many scholarships are geared towards privileged white students or must have a parent who works for a certain company, and this really limits eligibility. Thankfully more and more companies are starting to see the need for minority scholarships. Coca-Cola is one of those companies, and is donating $150,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to be awarded in college scholarships to qualifying students. Applications are being accepted until March 30, 2016. If you or someone you know cannot afford to send their teen to college this scholarship is a great opportunity to make that dream a reality.

Coca-Cola’s #ForTheDream program empowers Hispanic families to prepare, plan and pay for their teen’s college education, and inspires Hispanic students to pursue their higher education dreams and become future leaders. We definitely need more minorities in the public eye, and our kids are our future. By giving them the opportunity to fulfill their dreams our world will be a better place. Although college enrollment has increased tremendously during the past two decades, the Hispanic population lags behind other groups when it comes degrees earned. Many Hispanic families in the United States are also supporting family members back home, taking away even more of their much needed income, and making it even more difficult to afford college out of pocket. To further complicate things, this might also be fueled by financial pressure for some students to support their families before graduation.

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As part of its commitment to the Hispanic community, Coca-Cola HSF #ForTheDream National Scholarship Program aims to empower Hispanic families to put their teens in the fast track to higher education. Education is the future of the world, and without a good education our young people are not going to have the capability to compete for jobs and take care of their families. Scholarships can greatly reduce the financial burden of families trying to pay college expenses, especially when there are multiple teens attending.

Coca-Cola understands the importance Hispanic families place on education, and wants to help them prepare, plan and pay for college, while aiding their Latino students achieve higher education. Make sure to apply by March 30th, 2016.