According to PRNewswire, the NBA and Bacardi U.S.A. announced the regional winners of the inaugural Gold Standard Scholarship Program. Twenty-four adult students, aged 21 and up, from culturally diverse communities will now vie for the chance to receive an additional $30,000 scholarship as four national winners will be selected by public voting beginning Monday, May 16, 2011 at www.nba.com/goldstandard.
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) selected 24 minority students who are pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees to receive a $10,000 scholarship. Fans can go online to vote for the four students—one male and one female from each organization—to be selected as national scholarship recipients and receive an additional $30,000 in financial support. Voting will close on Monday, May 30 and the winners will be announced during a special event in Miami, Florida in late June.
“Since 1862, Bacardi Rum has been the world’s most mixable and most sociable spirit brand and like the NBA, is rich in history and tradition,” said Brian LePorin, Brand Director, Bacardi. “The collaboration between Bacardi and the NBA is the perfect opportunity for like-minded organizations to showcase our values and establish programs that serve our community. We look forward to continuing this important partnership that is equally committed to providing young adults with the resources they need to reach their goals.”
The Gold Standard Scholarship Program started in September 2010, with scholarships awarded to students throughout greater New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, and Boston who excelled academically and showed the values of volunteerism and service. The official ambassadors of the scholarship program are NBA legends Greg Anthony, Rolando Blackman and Felipe Lopez. These three will be on hand to announce the four national scholarship recipients as part of the special event in June.
“The NBA is proud to join Bacardi for this new scholarship program and applauds the hard work and dedication that each of the 24 recipients has shown in their classrooms and in their communities,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships. “With the support and guidance of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Gold Standard Scholarship Program will provide much-deserved assistance to the students as they continue working towards their educational goals.”
