Minneapolis-based retailer Best Buy Co. Inc. announced Monday the launch of its 2011 “@15 Scholarship” program, through which up to 1,200 college-bound students from the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico can benefit from scholarships from the company.
Students in grades 9-12 planning to enter college are eligible for the award program which has already distributed more than $18.5 million in scholarship dollars to more than 14,300 students nationwide.
Best Buy’s @15 Scholarship program, formerly known as the Best Buy Scholarship program, “is an investment in this country’s next generation of leaders – an investment that will pay dividends for all of us,” said Brian J. Dunn, CEO of Best Buy.
“Providing teens with access to higher education is just one of the ways Best Buy helps teens make a difference for themselves and, ultimately, their communities,” he said.
Scholarship winners will be selected based on their outstanding commitment to and involvement in community service or work experience, along with a solid academic performance. Students from public, private, alternative and home school backgrounds as well as to Best Buy employees and their relatives are eligible.
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
“Through this alliance with the [Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida (PRCCCF)], the [Economic Development Bank (EDB)] will offer financing services of up to $1 million to companies referred to by the PRCCCF.
“This alliance represents a unique opportunity to promote business activity and economic development in Puerto Rico, while strengthening ties between the Puerto Rican diaspora and the island.
“The EDB and the PRCCCF are committed to working hand in hand to provide the necessary support to entrepreneurs who wish to contribute to the growth and prosperity of Puerto Rico.”
— Luis Alemañy-González, president of Puerto Rico’s Economic Development Bank (EDB)