Newport Beach Student Wins 'Live Mas' Taco Bell Scholarship

IRVINE, CA —The Taco Bell Foundation is awarding $7 million to 725 scholarship winners and an additional $10 million in grants to local youth organizations, the Irvine-area company announced Tuesday. Scholarship awards range from $5,000 to $25,000 per student, they reported.

A total of 100 California students won the award (see the full list of Orange County students who won the scholarships below).

The Live Mas scholarships and grants, totaling $17 million, will "educate and inspire the next generation of leaders," a spokesperson for The Taco Bell Foundation said.

In 2021, the scholarship recipients include 150 Taco Bell employees and 305 people who have won the Live Mas Scholarships in the past and applied for a renewal.

"After a tough year of remote learning, we hope these scholarships help inspire young people around the country to continue pursuing their boldest ambitions," said Jennifer Bradbury, executive director of the Taco Bell Foundation. "We are so excited to have met the commitment we set for ourselves to award $21 million in scholarships by 2021 in just six years and look forward to supporting students on their educational journeys in even more innovative ways in the future."

New and old scholarship winners will come together for a virtual conference this summer to network and develop personal and professional skills. The "Summer of Connection" will feature topics including early career success, navigating change, how to earn money and what to do with it, self-advocacy and networking.

To raise money for the scholarship fund, the Taco Bell Foundation partners with Taco Bell restaurants to host national fundraisers twice a year.

This year, fundraising has already begun in participating restaurants. Through July 1, customers will be asked to round up their order to the nearest dollar at checkout.

In June, the foundation will donate $10 million in grants to nearly 400 local youth-serving organizations across the country as part of the foundation's "Day of Giving." The foundation supports Junior Achievement programs, Boys & Girls Club of America, and other non-profit organizations.

So, who won? The Live Mas Scholarship winners were chosen from nearly 10,000 applicants.

In California, the following 100 applicants were awarded scholarships through the program:

Jonathan B. Passion: Illustration
: Aliso Viejo
Daniel R. Passion: Illustration
: Irvine
James K. Passion: Humanities/Social Science
: Irvine
Meachelle L. Passion: Medicine
: Irvine
Chloe R. Passion: Sustainability
: Laguna Hills
Aaron G. Passion: Statistics
: Newport Beach
Aaron Don A. Passion: Mechanical Engineering
: Orange
Crystal M. Passion: Creative arts
: Orange
Chloe M. Passion: Community Service
: Yorba Linda

Congratulations to all of the Live Mas Scholarship winners across the country.