McDonald's Launches New Webinar Series to Help Hispanic Kids Get Into College

Customer Steven Price sits at a table near a HDTV screen showing the new McDonald's Channel in Norwalk, Calif.(Photo : Reuters)

By Zanub Saeed

McDonald's announced that it will launch the Latinos Rumbo al College as part of its Hispanic education program, which will be a free webinar series in part with nonprofit organization Latinos in College and LULAC National Educational Service Center.

The new series was created to make the college process simpler and more attainable for Hispanic youths and their parents, said McDonald's in a press release issued on Friday. The webinars will be bilingual in both English and Spanish, and the first was called "On the Track to College" that took place this Friday from the LULAC National Convention in Orlando, Fla., open to families and educators.

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"As a long-standing partner of Hispanic education, McDonald's understands that some of the main barriers preventing Hispanic students from obtaining a college degree are misconceptions about financing a college education and unfamiliarity with the college application process," Cristina Vilella, U.S. marketing director for McDonald's USA, was quoted as stating for the press release. "Through the new Latinos Rumbo al College webinar series we will reach thousands of Hispanic students and parents with an interactive resource, in English and Spanish, to help them navigate their way to college." 

Several more webinars will take place throughout the year, in both English and Spanish as well, including "Acing Scholarship Applications" on Wednesday, September 5; "Finding Mentors and Building a Support System" to take place Wednesday, October 3; and "Mastering the College Application Process" scheduled for Wednesday, November 7, listed the press release.

"The majority of our school partners have high student-to-counselor ratios, making it prohibitively difficult for counselors to deliver critical college access information to talented high school students most in need of this information," Richard Roybal, LNESC executive director, said for the press release. "Through our relationship with McDonald's and LIC, we will be empowering thousands of educators, students, and, most importantly, Spanish-dominant parents who will finally have access to the bilingual information they need to make their children's dreams of going to college a reality."  

The webinar will offer students and families tips on how to get on the college track, including applying for schools and scholarships, and building a support network with other college-bound students, said the press release.

"The majority of our school partners have high student-to-counselor ratios, making it prohibitively difficult for counselors to deliver critical college access information to talented high school students most in need of this information," Richard Roybal, LNESC executive director, stated for the press release. "Through our relationship with McDonald's and LIC, we will be empowering thousands of educators, students, and, most importantly, Spanish-dominant parents who will finally have access to the bilingual information they need to make their children's dreams of going to college a reality."