AZHCC awards 7 college scholarships during Hispanic Business Salute luncheon

PHOENIX – The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund today awarded its annual scholarships to 7 Arizona college and university students at the Telemundo Arizona Hispanic Business Salute Luncheon.

“One of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber’s top priorities is ensuring that we’re not only part of the conversation about how to best educate Latino youth, but we’re also helping to provide the means by which young people in our community get the education and career guidance they need,” said Gonzalo A. de la Melena, Jr., president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The scholarships will be presented during the Hispanic Business Salute 2014 Luncheon today at the Grand Ballroom at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, 2400 E. Missouri, Phoenix. Doors open at 11 a.m. The event is hosted by Telemundo Phoenix and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Foundation.

This year’s AZHCC Scholarship recipients are: Abigail Gonzalez (ASU); Aurelio Herrera (ASU); Deidre Zuniga (ASU); Robert Ito (ASU); Enedina Gaxiola (ASU); Mario Sanchez (ASU); Lisa Martinez (Phoenix College). Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona presented an additional scholarship to Adriana Saenz.

The Telemundo Arizona Hispanic Business Salute Luncheon’s keynote speaker was former NASA astronaut Jose Moreno Hernandez. This year’s Hispanic Business Salute awards will be presented to Laura Paredes Oldaker of By Your Side Senior Care; Regina Duran of Duran Accounting Solutions, and Nicolas Porter of Risas Dental and Braces. 

The Arizona Hispanic Chamber awards $5,000 scholarships annually to incoming juniors enrolled as business majors at NCA accredited schools in Arizona. Students receive the grants for two years. This year’s awards also include a scholarship from the Maricopa Community College District.

As part of a new initiative to help the students pursue careers in business, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber has created the Emerging Business Leaders Initiative to guide its scholarship recipients through the college experience, provide internships with the Chamber or its corporate business members, and business and career networking opportunities after graduation.

The goal of the AZHCC scholarship program is to support and guide the next generation of business owners, managers and leaders for a better Arizona. The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Fund is managed in conjunction with the Arizona Community Foundation and is funded in part by private contributions and the Helios Foundation. 

Event sponsors and scholarship contributors include: Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Telemundo Arizona, Arizona Community Foundation, Maricopa Community Colleges, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, Cox Communications, Copperpoint Mutual Insurance, Cigna Medical Group, Wells Fargo and Circle K.