Passion remains a pillar at the center of Taco Bell Foundation’s Summer of Connection (SOC) and this year’s event was no exception. One of the highlights each summer is hearing scholars share their passions during the Passion Pitch Competition, for a chance to win up to $1,500.
Eight scholars were selected to do a 3-minute pitch on their passion or a selected social issue in front of the SOC attendees and a panel of mentors, who voted for their favorite pitches live. Participants received live feedback and prizes were awarded to the top 3.
We want to introduce you to the students who were selected to pitch. We hope that by watching their stories you become inspired to share your passions!
Meet The Scholars
Laila A. | Menstrual Equity
1st Place Winner of $1,500
After learning of the 500 million people that face “period poverty,” Laila was motivated to push menstrual equity. She founded PERIOD, a movement that equips youth leaders with education and products to combat period poverty globally.
WATCH THE PITCH
Grace B. | Broadcast Grace
An Emmy Award Winning journalist, Grace was inspired to take action after noticing declining mental health in her community. She uses her passion for journalism to elevate stories and educate to dismantle the stigma around mental health in the African American and BIPOC community.
Olivia L. | Small Business
As a kid Olivia was constantly creating “businesses.” After working for her mother’s family business, she realized the importance of elevating the small business community. She now supports the community through her university’s club that offers pro bono consulting services to help small businesses succeed.
Pranav P. | Health Equity
Pranav is seeking to create health equity by bringing attention to unaffordable healthcare in the U.S. Through Combat the Patent Prices he is seeking to impact the policies around drug patents that raise costs.
Sarah N. | Human Rights
As a passionate Gen Zer, Sarah is seeking to elevate the space for human rights conversations. She created Hot Girlz 4 Human Rights, a community of young passionate changemakers.
Tasfia H. | Education
After seeing the deficit of educational and technological resources, during a fellowship project trip to Ghana, Tasfia realized that she could make a difference. She founded nonprofit Amader Shopno or “Our Dream,” aimed at raising awareness around the significance of education.
Valerie G. | Disabilities
After surveying over 200 people with a disability, Valerie concluded that there is a lack of support for those that face some type of disability. Because of this she is seeking to start Faceless, a non-profit that elevates conversations around disabilities and helps create a community of support.
Miles S. | Youth & Career Navigation
Miles’ motivation comes from his personal experience of noticing a lack of resources for post-grads. He is seeking to create a network to help combat the feeling of loneliness for recent graduates.
Our next round of Live Más Scholarship applications opens in November – sign up to receive updates at LiveMasScholarship.com!
The Taco Bell Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. For more information visit www.tacobellfoundation.org