Nothing says surprise like confetti and a big check! Each year we look forward to surprising our Live Más Scholars and it’s even better when we can partner with iconic organizations to do so. This one is for the sports fans out there!
Scholar Unveil with The Sacramento Kings
We were excited to team up with the Sacramento Kings and Taco Bell Franchise partners – DG Smith Enterprise and T&K LL – for a special unveil moment. Seven local scholars were invited to a home game where they received a behind-the-scenes tour, held the flag during the national anthem and were honored in an on-court scholarship presentation. The scholars even got to celebrate in the King’s VIP Lounge!
“Thank you so much to the franchisees and the Taco Bell Foundation for helping us get these
scholarships. I am so incredibly grateful – you are doing so much for the students in our
community,” said Ryan Parham,P., after receiving her 2025 Live Más Scholarship at the King’s
game.
Here are the 7 Scholars that Received a scholarship:
• Michelle Han – Technology – $25,000
• Aditya Banerjee – Medicine – $10,000
• Celine Qin – Social Justice – $10,000
• Renee Arreguin – Physical Therapy – $10,000
• Jacob Borlak – Surgery – $5,000
• Ryan Parham – Communication – $5,000
• Saheb Gulati – Social Justice – $5,000
Special Reveal at the Davante Adams Camp
For the third time, Taco Bell Foundation was welcomed to the Davante Adams Camp in Palo Alto, to create a fun unveil moment. We invited five scholars to participate in a “final interview” for their scholarships but instead we surprised them with their $25,000 checks!
“Seeing Davante was such an unforgettable experience that put a smile on my face nobody could take off. I’m just so incredibly grateful to the Taco Bell Foundation for believing in me, for creating this moment, and for investing in students’ dreams,” said Matthew Sugiyama, 2025 Live Más Scholar.
Here are the five scholars joining the Live Más Scholar Community:
- Matthew Sugiyama – Social Justice – $25,000
- Yixiang Chen – Social Work – $25,000
- Marsiah LeBlanc – Community Service – $25,000
- Mahi Jariwala – Sports Management – $25,000
- Deja Smith-Robinson – Humanities/Social Sciences – $25,000
This year marked 10 years of the Live Más Scholarship and Taco Bell Foundation awarded $14 million in Live Más Scholarships – the largest distribution yet! Scholars join a community of nearly 3,000 like-minded students who are chasing their passion and ambitiously pursuing their dreams.
The Taco Bell Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. For more information visit www.tacobellfoundation.org.