USHLI participated in the selection of four RMHC®/HACER® National Scholarship recipients.  Each student will receive $100,000 over four years, thanks to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) and the support of McDonald's® Hispanic owner/operators.  Since 2008 the national scholarship has provided $2.7 million in financial assistance to 27 students nationwide.

Scholarship recipients are selected from thousands of applications.  They are required to complete an application, write an essay, and be interviewed by a distinguished panel of judges representing academia, business, media, RMHC and McDonald's.  This year's winners are Ramon Castillo, Brooklyn, NY; Rico Lizbinski, Gaithersburg, MD; Bryan Peacker, Orlando, FL; and Gabriela Lomeli, Palmsdale, CA.  Selection is also based on students' academic achievement, community involvement and financial need.

"RMHC and McDonald's demonstrate a truly admirable commitment to the education of our Hispanic community in the U.S.," said Dr. Juan Andrade, Jr., president of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute and past judge for the RMHC/HACER Scholarship. "With the help of this scholarship, four well-deserving Hispanic students will have the opportunity to grow and learn, and most importantly, continue to better themselves and their communities."

Past scholarship recipients have attended prestigious universities, including Harvard College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and continued on to careers in the medical, engineering and business fields, among others.

RMHC/HACER Scholarship applications become available each fall and awarded students are notified in the spring to coincide with college acceptances. Applications for the upcoming 2015 scholarships will be made available in October 2014.