The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program announced today the scholarship winners of over $4.2 million to 1,100 students at the NBC News Education Nation Summit in New York City.
The Scholarships were funded by the General Motors Foundation.
Students from all 50 states were honored at the event for not only excelling in the classroom but participating in their communities. The winners will now receive financial help to assist them achieve a college degree within the areas of math, engineering, technology among others. The eligibility rules expanded this year from first-time college students to now include current undergraduate students attending college.
By the end of 2012, Buick Achievers Scholarship Program predicts that they will have provided almost 13 million to students to help them achieve their dreams.
"Students are graduating today with more than $25,000 in debt, hindering them with years of financial burden," said GM Foundation President Vivian Pickard in a press conference. "Through the Buick Achievers Scholarship Program, the GM Foundation is able to alleviate some of those financial hurdles, while fostering the growth of the next generation of leaders for STEM-related fields."
One hundred students received up to $25,000 each, renewable up to four years and one extra year for qualifying programs. 1,000 students will receive a one-time $2,000 award. 527 of the students who won scholarships are the first in their family to attend college.
Some of the winners were invited to join in a conversation about today's educational system with the events moderator Melissa Harris-Perry from MSNBC. Those asked to attend include Saad Amer; Medford, N.Y. (Harvard University); Denney Choi; Gardena, Calif. (University of California - Berkeley); Carmen Gil; Miami, Fla. (University of Florida - Gainesville); Thomas Jones; Orange, Tex. (Freed-Hardeman University) and Melissa Rey; Chesterfield, Mo. (Pomona College/Caltech).
The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Environment, Health and Human Services, mainly in communities where GM operates.
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