Summer of Inspiration

SUMMER OF INSPIRATION

Over the course of six weeks, nearly 750 Live Más Scholars and youth from across the country connected online for the Live Más Scholarship Summer of Inspiration, a virtual conference designed for attendees to cultivate the necessary skills and  connections needed to boldly pursue their career paths and make a difference in their community. Through guest speakers, panel discussions, interactive workshops and even a cooking lesson, attendees explored the themes of resilience, leading with authenticity, owning their career and using their passions for good.

Being Resilient

Throughout the Summer of Inspiration, speakers, panelists and scholars encouraged one another to keep up their momentum, embrace the discomfort of this unprecedented time, and use their resilience to find community, innovatively solve problems and create new opportunities for success. From executives to Olympians and authors to artists, attendees heard inspiring stories from changemakers on how they overcame adversity, discovered joy in the process and ultimately achieved success.

Leading with Authenticity and Embracing Diversity

The recent events in our country have shown the importance of creating a safe space to talk about injustice and racism. During the Summer of Inspiration, Live Más Scholars bravely joined together with open hearts and minds for rich conversations on equity, inclusion and belonging. Attendees learned the power of leading with authenticity and boldly sharing their story to connect with those around them.
Live Más Scholar Jeffrey P. shared, “It’s important to be a young person and realize that we have the power to do so much. It was really comforting to know that I am not alone in my dreams for justice and that I had the opportunity to learn from others and share my experiences.”

Owning Your Career and Planning for the Future

Scholars were fortunate to hear from experts in various fields including HR, Technology, Marketing, Education and Finance to learn best practices for navigating the ever-changing job market, embracing the quickly evolving future of higher education, and finding comfort in community. Speakers vulnerably shared their own journeys, career paths and challenges, and answered scholars’ questions.
Live Más Scholar Lucas S. expressed, “My biggest takeaway was that I’m not alone. I know that if I ever need help pursuing a career or a professional opportunity, the Taco Bell Foundation will always be there to support me. And the speakers that taught these sessions filled my notebook with advice that I hope to apply to my everyday life.”

Using Your Passion for Good

Our Live Más Scholars are fueled by their passions to make real change in their community. In sessions led by Live Más Scholars with their own social impact initiatives, attendees heard about the journey to start a nonprofit organization, how doing good is good for business, and left empowered to incorporate a social purpose into their own career ventures. Attendees also heard from influential artists who are combining their technical skillset to positively impact the lives of people in their communities and encourage others to do the same.
The Live Más Scholarship is more than money—it’s a catalyst for students’ long-term success. Thank you to all who made this virtual conference possible: Daniel Horgan at CoLabL, Taco Bell franchisees, Taco Bell Corporate leaders, our amazing lineup of speakers and panelists, and our Live Más Scholarship community who attended the sessions.