Katya Echazarreta, a former employee of McDonald's, now an astronaut, was invited back by the company inspire high school seniors to apply for the company's HACER national scholarship program, which awards 30 Hispanic high school and college students with scholarships to pay for their studies.

With the application period for the McDonald's HACER National Scholarship still open, Echazarreta will offer a virtual tutoring session on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 1:00 p.m. to show them that college is within their reach.

Echazarreta, who is an electrical engineer, creator of STEM content and the first woman born in Mexico to travel to space, highlighted:

After meeting with students face to face at local high schools across the country, I’m excited to connect with even more students virtually to let them know that their dreams of getting an education can be achieved.

About the meeting 

During the session, the Mexican will share experiences on how her perseverance and passion for learning helped shape her journey to become a NASA electrical engineer as a first-generation college student.

Students from all over the world, who will be able to interact with Echazarreta through a live chat, can register by clicking here.

Dreams come true

Underscoring that Echazarreta considers her time at McDonald's critical to her journey to becoming an astronaut, since last Fall she became a guest speaker for the annual HACER educational tour to inspire Hispanic students to reach for the stars with in-person workshops and one-on-one tutoring sessions at selected high schools.

The educational workshop program is organized by CoolSpeak, the nation's leading youth engagement company to help students in different cities navigate the college application process.

“With resources available to them like the HACER® scholarship, I encourage high school seniors nationwide to join me on January 24, so I can show them that if I could do it, they can too!” added Echazarreta.

About the grant

“The McDonald's HACER National Scholarship Program will offer scholarships to up to 30 outstanding Hispanic students from all over the country. Funds are aimed to help recipients finance their college tuition, and there are three tiers. Tier 1 recipients will be awarded up to $100,000. Tier 2 recipients will receive $20,000 or $10,000 and Tier 3 recipients will receive $5,000. Recipients are selected based on their academic achievement, community involvement, personal statement and financial need,” reads a statement from McDonald’s on its website. 

Since 1985, the program has awarded more than $33 million in scholarships to more than 17,000 students.

The scholarship application period for the 2022-2023 academic year is open through February 6, 2023. For additional college resources in English and Spanish, and details on how to apply, click here.