Attention, high school juniors, and seniors! An ample opportunity has arrived —literally— to the door. Once again, the McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship is back to help you achieve your higher education goals.

Today, many Hispanic students have to choose between their education and supporting their families, while others are preceding their educational aspirations to avoid debt due to the high cost of schooling.

Statistics show that In the past year, the number of first-year Latinx students fell 20% in Fall 2020, and the number of Latinx undergraduates dropped 5.3% in Spring 2021 compared to the same time last year. But today, if you are a Hispanic or Latinx student, the Golden Arches, and actress and education advocate, Dascha Polanco, will turn your college dreams into reality.

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“Education for me has always been important, and culturally in the Latino community, it is instilled in us from a very young age,” Polanco told HOLA! USA. “I put myself through college and still believe that education was very important, regardless of the responsibility and the obstacles that were in front of me, I had to overcome them and understand that in order to be successful, education was what I needed”

According to the actress, she accepted the partnership with McDonald‘s because she wants to use her platform to “make sure that Latino students knew that this scholarship is available to them and that college is within reach.”

The star knows that most Hispanic and Latinx parents are very traditional in careers; however, following what your heart desires should always be a priority. “As an adult, I became an actress, but as a little girl, I had dreams of being a performer,” the Dominican actress told us. “Whether going to NYU and doing films,I always knew that I wanted to perform whether is singing, dance and act, and I was always supported in my home,” she says adding that “ I was always reminded that I needed to get an education first. So I always had that in the background.”

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For more than 35 years, McDonald’s USA and its Hispanic Owner/Operators have served up bright futures by providing Hispanic high school students across the country with opportunities through the HACER National Scholarship program.

The scholarship has been awarding more than $32 million in scholarships to 17,000 Hispanic students since 1985, and in 2021 you can also be part of the history. Every year the program awards a total of $500,000 to students to help them reach their full potential and secure the future they envisioned for themselves.

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This is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you may only have one chance to make it right. So choosing a career that speaks to you is extremely important. “I can’t advise on how to handle family dynamics. But what I can say is this. I think that when you have an opportunity in front of you when you have a golden opportunity, like what is presented and what I have partnered up with, especially when you’re in high school, I think that‘s the time to take advantage of it and to go for it and to understand that you too, can put yourself in a position to succeed,” she says. “School and education can be something that we can celebrate along the way. I think that there are steps to everything.”

“For me, education was not something that I wanted to sacrifice. I wanted education to be my priority. I wanted education to be something that I checked off. That I did and that I‘m proud of and that will just add to my talents and what I love to do.”

“When you live in a household where financially, you don‘t have the means. Or maybe your parents are immigrants like mine; I’m an immigrant. And you come to a country where you think opportunities are not for everyone. Believe it or not, there are opportunities you have to go out there,” Polanco assures.

The actress also revealed that she had a conversation with her daughter about scholarships and her future. “ I made sure to provide my daughter with scholarship information,” she says. “We have to understand that generations change. I have access to different tools. So now I can provide that to my daughter.”

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HACER is one of the most extensive college scholarship programs in the country. It is now looking for new candidates and encouraging them to send their applications through the “Puertas Doradas” (Golden Doors) available in high schools across the country.

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The pop-up experience will be visiting various cities in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas. The in-person, interactive opportunity will lead students to a dedicated site featuring a short video of Dascha Polanco sharing the impact college had on her future paired with the information needed to help students unlock their opportunity and a chance to receive college funds.

The site will also introduce the story of Erick Soto, a recent HACER scholarship recipient, who learned of the program at a McDonald’s while doing his homework.

“Following a year that challenged college aspirations for Hispanic students, we look forward to seeing our Puertas Doradas inspire high schoolers across the country to apply for the scholarship,” said Richard Castro, a McDonald’s Owner/Operator and national HACER scholarship chairperson. “I’ve witnessed how these funds have impacted our community over the last 35 years, and it’s been life-changing. It’s an honor to continue to provide opportunities like this to Latino youth.”

The 2022-2023 academic year’s scholarship application period is now open through Feb. 7, 2022. In addition to applying for the scholarship, Hispanic college-bound students (and their parents) are encouraged to visit hacertour.com/goldenopportunity to register for the McDonald’s HACER Virtual Workshop Series. The workshops aim to provide educators, students, and parents with key educational resources while bringing awareness to the McDonald’s HACER National Scholarship.