Ford Awards Students Pursuing the 'Spirit of Accomplishment'

* 75 High School Students Awarded $2,000 Scholarships * Three Grand Finalists Awarded $10,000 Ford Centennial Anniversary Bonus * Total of $1 Million in Scholarships Awarded to Date

DEARBORN, Mich., May 15 -- Ford Motor Company is honoring 75 high school students in pursuit of higher education through the "Ford Spirit of Accomplishment Scholastic Award" / Premio Escolar Espiritu de Superacion de Ford scholarship program. The students each will receive a $2,000 college scholarship and three grand finalists will receive an additional $10,000 Ford Centennial Anniversary bonus scholarship.

Ford is awarding a total of $180,000 of college scholarships to these 75 students. In total, Ford has awarded more than $1 million of scholarships to more than 600 students since the program began seven years ago.

Each year, high school seniors with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better are invited to participate in the Ford Spirit of Accomplishment Scholastic Award. To commemorate Ford's Centennial Anniversary this year, students were required to submit a 300-word essay describing the world event or discovery in the past 100 years that most impacted their life.

"We recognize the importance of education and are interested in discovering what event or discovery in the last century has most impacted the lives of today's youth," said Francisco Codina, Ford Division general marketing manager. "We want to inspire students to pursue their dreams and make contributions for future generations to remember."

This year's grand finalists and recipients of the $10,000 Ford Centennial Anniversary bonus scholarship are Michelle Villegas from Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center in Chicago, Ill.; Michael McGee, from Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Calf.; and Juan Chipollini from Springdale High School in Springdale, Ariz.

Local faculty members as well as Ford and Telemundo Television Network representatives judged the essays based on originality, relevance to theme, grammar and clarity. To select the recipients of the $10,000 bonus scholarships, Ford called upon a panel of distinguished faculty and Roberto Angelelli, host of Telemundo's national morning program "De Mananita."

Faculty judges included Dr. Marta Tienda, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University; Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, director for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Center for the Study of Latino Health; Dr. Michael D. Guerrero, professor at the University of Texas at Austin; and Dr. Oscar Urquidez Somoza, professor at the University of Denver.

"The fact that applicants crafted their essays with enormous thought and creativity made the task of selecting only three finalists a formidable one," said Dr. Marta Tienda. "Their promise for our collective future will be realized thanks to the vision and generosity of Ford, whose leadership remains committed to ensuring these students have an opportunity to pursue their dreams through higher education."

Ford partnered with the Telemundo Television Network to promote the program. In addition to the $2,000 scholarship, each of the 75 winners will be recognized on a 30-second award vignette on the network throughout the year.

"I am proud to be part of this special program that brings students one step closer to achieving their goals," said Roberto Angelelli. "I take pride in communicating Ford's message to our youth that hard work and perseverance do pay off."

According to the 2002 PEW Hispanic Center report, only 10 percent of Hispanics enroll in higher education. Even more alarming, they are much less likely than non-Hispanics to graduate due to financial constraints. More than 80 percent of the Ford Spirit of Accomplishment Scholastic Award winners are Hispanic.

Ford's long-standing commitment to the Hispanic market includes sponsorship of community programs such as Salute to Education scholarships, Health on Wheels van donations to health clinics, Credit Seminars, Todos a Leer reading program and Komen Race for the Cure events.

"One of our main goals of this program is to assist Hispanic students in attaining the necessary tools to realize their potential and make the world a better place," added Codina.

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