Alexandria Student Wins $10K Taco Bell Scholarship

ALEXANDRIA, VA—A student from Alexandria is among 300 students nationwide who was awarded a scholarship from the Taco Bell Foundation.

The Live Más Scholarship is designed to help youth and employees pursue their unique passions that may not necessarily fit into the traditional "academic" or "athletic" categories.

The scholarships are awarded to the "next generation of innovators, creators and dreamers," Taco Bell said.
Winners are not chosen based on academic merit, but rather the passion exhibited in a 2-minute video where applicants discuss what they love to do.

Robert Boyd, an Alexandria resident with a mission for microbiology, won a $10,000 scholarship. He is pursuing an MFA in film with a concentration in environmental filmmaking at American University.

"Robert’s passion is exploring an unseen area of our planet, called microbes, through wildlife film," said a statement from Taco Bell. "He wants to teach high school students that microbiology is not boring and is in fact highly impactful on our everyday lives. He submerges his viewers through his film into this exotic landscape."

Check out Robert's video here.

About 8,000 students applied to the Live Más Scholarships this year, which is double the applicants last year, the company said

Scholarships range from $5,000-$25,000 per student and contribute to the Foundation's goal of awarding $10 million by 2022.

Other winners from the area include: Pamela Paz of Vienna and Brian Jackson of Burke, who each won $10,000; Mia Rickenbach, who won $10,000 on top of $5,000 previously awarded; and Antonio Long of Fairfax, who won $5,000 on top of $5,000 previously awarded.

Additional reporting by Patch editor Cameron Luttrell

Image via Taco Bell