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Press Release: Nissan, Univision and LULAC Join Forces To Give Hispanic Youth a “Boost”. Promising soccer stars receive an opportunity to shine with the best while top students in Los Angeles can shoot for the stars with scholarships for higher education. September 24, 2008 For more information contact: FRANKLIN, Tenn. (September 24, 2008) – Nissan North America, Inc. is no stranger to connecting with the Hispanic community via non-traditional approaches and meaningful community relations. A long-time sponsor of international Latino sports and a major contributor of Hispanic organizations across the United States, Nissan recognizes that America’s youth has the potential to succeed and overcome obstacles given the right support. Today, Nissan is making news by putting even further “commitment to conviction.” Nissan is making two-fold history today. Accompanied by a cross-section of dignitaries, celebrities, Latino cultural icons, sports fanatics and thousands of Los Angeles citizens at the LA Coliseum, Nissan will present the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) with a $20,000 donation to fund a new educational initiative: “El Reto Supremo Académico” (The Ultimate Academic Challenge). This donation will provide underserved Hispanic youth with scholarships which will enable them to pursue their dream of a higher education in mathematics, science, technology or engineering. “We recognize that for our country to reach its true potential, it is vital to stimulate greater achievement in these key academic areas. This initiative also keeps in line with our ongoing commitment of furthering the wellbeing of US Hispanics.” affirmed Stephanie Valdez Streaty, senior manager, philanthropy & diversity communications for Nissan. “LULAC is delighted to partner with Nissan to be able to provide scholarships to deserving Latino students,” said LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “It is companies like Nissan that help open the doors of opportunity to the future leaders of our community and our country.” The second historical milestone Nissan will be supporting today is the “grand finale” of El Juego Supremo. To connect with Hispanic youth’s love for soccer, Nissan has been a major sponsor of “El Juego Supremo” (The Ultimate Match), a seven-part sports reality TV series airing on Univision. This program matched 10 rookies from Mexico and 10 rookies from the rest of the Americas to compete for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be trained alongside soccer legends. Each week, one rookie from each team is eliminated during training until only five are left to play with their five soccer idols. The “grand finale” will be no ordinary soccer scrimmage; five lucky young aspiring Latino soccer talents will be recognized as “the ultimate best”, while the rest will be given “the red card.” These up and coming “Soccer Supremes” could potentially have many doors opened to them, and therefore their future becoming more promising, as a result of being recognized on National Hispanic TV. The public is invited to join Nissan’s Fiesta Futbolera (Nissan’s Soccer Party) in the LA Coliseum parking lot prior to the Mexico vs. Chile game today from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. for great family fun, music, food and prizes. State Assembly Member Pedro Nava from the 35th district will provide remarks beginning at 6 p.m. on the importance of education in the math, science and engineering fields in addition to awarding scholarships to three deserving students from the Los Angeles area. Soccer legends slated to attend include: Luis Roberto Alves Zague, Ricardo Pelaez, Luis Hernandez, Adolfo Rios, Alberto Garcia Aspe, Carlos Valderrama, Jose Roberto Gama, Sergio Goycochea, Marcelo Balboa, Arnoldo Iguaran. In addition to being the long-time sponsor of El Reto Final Nissan and the Copa Nissan Sudamericana, Nissan has long been a major contributor of Hispanic organizations across the country including the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, the National Council of La Raza, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the National Hispana Leadership Institute and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. About Nissan About LULAC
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