The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization supporting Latino higher education, named 21-year-old Long Beach native Chris Soriano, the HSF “Male Scholar of the Year” for 2015 at its annual Leaders in Education Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, April 7.
Soriano, a biology major at the University of California, Los Angeles who attended Long Beach Polytechnic High, was chosen from a field of ten finalists among hundreds of candidates for the honor, according to the announcement.
“The amazing individuals and organizations we recognized at the 2015 Leaders in Education Awards set a high bar for what it means to be a leader in advancing education for Hispanic students across the country, said Fidel A. Vargas, President & CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, in a statement. “At HSF, we are using every means at our disposal – new technology, new programs, new ways of giving more students and families than ever before, the resources they need to pursue higher education. The outstanding leadership demonstrated by our 2015 LEA honorees is an inspiration, as we continue this important work.”
Soriano won a $4,000 Hispanic Scholarship Fund in 2014 which helped pay for his freshman year at UCLA. As the 2015 Male Scholar of the Year, he will travel to different states as a representative of the HSF. Last year’s Male Scholar of the Year was Joshue Leyva, also a student at UCLA, who also traveled the country speak on Spanish and English-language networks on behalf of HSF.
The HSF was founded in 1975 to empower Latino families with the resources to successfully complete a higher education, while providing scholarships and services to exceptional Hispanic American students. HSF has awarded over $470 million in scholarships since its inception continues to provide a range of programs for students, HSF scholars, Alumni and parents. For more information, click here.