Grant Funds Outreach Programs Providing Greater College Awareness To Hispanic Students And Families

NEW YORK, N.Y., October 3, 2005 — The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the nation's leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education, announced today that it was awarded a $205,000 grant from the New York Life Foundation to fund college awareness outreach programs in the Latino community. The grant will support seven Town Hall Meetings and five Steps for Success Saturdays Workshops in Atlanta, Dallas, New York City and Tampa. These community-based programs provide middle and high school students and their parents with information on financial aid, college admissions and other topics that help students enter and succeed in college. This year’s Hispanic Scholarship programs funded by the New York Life foundation reached approximately 2,000 parents and students.

"A college education is the cornerstone to financial independence and improving the quality of life," said Sara Martinez Tucker, president and CEO of HSF. "This contribution from the New York Life Foundation will help advance HSF's efforts to provide Latino families with the tools and information necessary to navigate the college process - showing them that college can be both affordable and attainable."

"We are pleased to partner with HSF to make valuable college prep information available to Hispanic parents and students," said Sy Sternberg, chairman and chief executive officer of New York Life Insurance Company and chairman of the New York Life Foundation. "It is vital to support programs like these that provide tools to successfully navigate the college application process and encourage the pursuit of higher education."

Town Hall Meetings are two-hour bilingual meetings covering the essentials of college preparation and financial aid. The meetings are part of a nationwide HSF tour where speakers address students about the importance of a college education, and the various educational and community resources that are available to them.

Steps for Success Workshops are full-day, interactive and highly specialized instruction for high school students and their parents. This initiative features a customized track of concurrent workshops for students and parents. Topics include intensive preparation for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), how to fill out applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), writing a personal statement (essay) for a college application, and matching students with the most appropriate schools based upon the students’ educational background, interests and needs.

About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation’s leading organization supporting Hispanic higher education. Founded in 1975, HSF's vision is to strengthen the country by advancing college education among Hispanic Americans, the largest minority segment of the U.S. population. In support of its mission to double the rate of Hispanics earning college degrees, HSF, a 501(c)3 not-for profit organization, provides the Latino community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. Headquartered in San Francisco, HSF has opened regional offices in Southern and Central California, the Northeast, the Southeast, Midwest and Texas. In addition, HSF launched the Washington, D.C.-based Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute to generate public partnerships in support of its work. During its 30-year history, HSF has awarded more than 73,000 scholarships totaling nearly $170 million to Latinos from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who have attended more than 1,700 colleges and universities. For more information about HSF, please visit www.hsf.net.

About the New York Life Foundation
The New York Life Foundation is the major vehicle through which New York Life Insurance Company channels contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. Through its Nurturing the Children initiative, the Foundation supports organizations, programs and services that target young people, particularly in the areas of mentoring, safe places to learn and grow, and educational enhancement opportunities. Please visit the Foundation's Web site at (www.newyorklifefoundation.org).

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