India Post News Service
CHICAGO: As the current pandemic continues to disrupt the school year for students across the country, McDonald’s commitment to educating and supporting future leaders remains unchanged. McDonald’s recently awarded $500,000 in scholarships to 55 Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) college freshmen through the first ever McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship Program.
Often labeled as a model minority, there are tremendous educational and economic disparities within the APIA community that are often overlooked. Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asian Americans are less likely to have a college degree compared to rest of the segment. COVID-19 has also brought economic hardships to the APIA community with one-in-five likely to be unemployed according to Pew Research Center, directly impacting a student’s ability to pay for higher education.
The McDonald’s/APIA Scholarship recognizes the disparities within the community and seeks to help bridge the gap, while providing much needed financial support and opportunities for APIA students. This underscores McDonald’s celebration of community and inclusion, which are core values of the brand.
Below is a snapshot of this year’s diverse scholarship recipients:
30 students (55%) are Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Southeast Asian Americans
53 students (96%) are first-generation immigrants
20 students (36%) are the first in their family to go to college
42 students (76%) live below the poverty line
Ninety-five percent of McDonald’s 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women
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