Live Más Scholarships, brought to eligible students around the country by Taco Bell Foundation, are truly life changing. This year we celebrate another 13 lucky recipients from Border Foods whose passions are real and whose futures are playing out right before our eyes with impressive momentum!
To me, “live más” means choosing courage over comfort … it means chasing a life with purpose.
-Samantha Maples, Healthcare
In total, a combined $170,000 in scholarship funds were dished out this year to Border Foods’ team members. Among the highlights:
- TWO new $25,000 winners!
- EIGHT scholarship renewals = repeat $$$
- Overwhelming recipient interest in health, wellness and fitness
Choosing a Life with Purpose
Be inspired by our two first-time $25,000 scholarship recipients, both of whom turned personal heartache into good for others. Nina Stalsonburg’s interest is in pediatric occupational therapy and helping people live life to the fullest. Nina’s own severe head and neck injury several years ago, she says, only solidified her calling to help people gain independence.
Samantha Maples’ passion for healthcare is deeply personal. When she was just 16, her older sister passed away. “That loss has changed me in a way that nothing else has ever come close to,” Samantha admits. Today, she’s narrowed her degree focus to radiologic technology. “Seeing how healthcare workers showed compassion during the hardest moments made me realize I wanted to be one of those people,” she says.
Another first-time recipient is Madison Hennessy, who landed $10,000 to put toward her career as an aesthetician. Madison became a mom as a teenager. That not only pushed her to grow up faster than peers, but it also resulted in dreaming big and building a life with real purpose. Madison’s passion in the beauty industry is about building confidence in those who feel overlooked or “less than,” and it’s fueled by her own drive to push past limitations.
These scholarships change lives and make dreams possible. We’re so proud to be a part of the Taco Bell difference! Congratulations to this year’s new and returning winners:
$25,000
Nina Stalsonburg, Store #033075
Passion: Health, Wellness & Behavioral Health
Samantha Maples, Store #037588
Passion: Healthcare (Clinical & Allied Health)
$15,000
Rashida James*, Store #039130
Passion: Healthcare (Clinical & Allied Health)
$10,000
Brenden Ohlemacher-Lonetti*, Store #031015
Passion: Law, Government & Public Service
Daria Kianian*, Store #041408
Passion: Technology & Data
Hayden Cesena, Store #004900
Passion: Business, Finance & Entrepreneurship
Isabella Rodriguez*, Store #033013
Passion: Beauty, Wellness & Personal Services
Johnathan Tribby*, Store #023073
Passion: Education & Youth Development
Kaleb Teshome*, Store #040891
Passion: Technology & Data
Madison Hennessy, Store #033635
Passion: Beauty, Wellness & Personal Services
Mariam Abdalla*, Store #020000
Passion: Healthcare (Clinical & Allied Health)
Tamera Afraid of Lightening*, Store #027881
Passion: Healthcare (Clinical & Allied Health)
$5,000
Mason Hughes, Store #036360
Passion: Sports, Fitness & Recreation
*Scholarship renewal
