Now in its third year, Mercedes-Benz USA has announced today that they will make $1.5 million in funding available to high school students who are the first generation in their family to attend college.

The Drive Your Future scholarship program, which is now in its third year, will donate $10,000 to 100 high school seniors across the country who demonstrate financial need and exceptional achievement in the areas of academic performance, leadership, and school and community activites.  In addition, Mercedes will grant $10,000 to 50 students interested in pursuing a degree in the performing arts, through a new program they're calling the Drive Your Future Performance Awards.

If you or your family want to learn more about the Drive Your Future scholarship program, you can find more information by clicking here.

You can also learn more about the program by checking out the full press release below.


OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


MERCEDES-BENZ USA ANNOUNCES 2006 DRIVE YOUR FUTURE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

MONTVALE, N.J. – Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) announced today that it will make $1.5 million in scholarship funding available to students who are the first generation in their families to attend college. DRIVE YOUR FUTURE: The Mercedes-Benz USA Scholarship Program, now in its third year, will grant $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 per year for four years) to 100 high school seniors across the country who demonstrate financial need and exceptional achievement in the areas of academic performance, leadership and school and community activities. As an extension of this program, an additional $500,000 will be made available for the new Mercedes-Benz DRIVE YOUR FUTURE Performance Awards, designed to recognize students interested in pursuing a degree in the performing arts. Fifty of these $10,000 scholarships ($2,500 per year for four years) will be awarded.

Students can visit www.mbusa.com/drivefuture to learn more about the programs and access application materials beginning Jan. 4, 2006 through the Feb. 10, 2006 deadline. Scholarship recipients will be announced in May 2006.

“Through DRIVE YOUR FUTURE we can help create opportunities for the next generation — helping students clear some of the potential hurdles to higher education so that they can focus on becoming the thoughtful and dynamic leaders of the future,” said Paul Halata, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. “Mercedes-Benz is a brand built on aspiration and excellence. We hope to bring about that same commitment to excellence in young people today who will go on to shape our world through new inventions, arts, music, technology, business and maybe even the automotive world.”

DRIVE YOUR FUTURE: The Mercedes-Benz USA Scholarship Program and the Mercedes-Benz DRIVE YOUR FUTURE Performance Awards were developed to respond to a critical need for scholarships to help students offset the costs of postsecondary education. Administered by Scholarship America, Mercedes-Benz DRIVE YOUR FUTURE is part of a broader philanthropic initiative aimed at educating and empowering future generations by helping young people reach their full potential and become the leaders of their generation.

“According to The College Board’s Trends in College Pricing 2005, students borrowed almost $14 billion dollars from nonfederal sources to help finance their education in academic year 2004-2005,” said Marilyn Rundell, vice president of Scholarship America. “For first generation college-bound students, particularly those from underserved communities, the availability of financial assistance for their first year of college may be a deciding factor in whether or not to continue their education. Scholarships, such as the ones being offered by Mercedes-Benz USA, help ease the financial burden placed on aspiring collegians and make their dream of obtaining a postsecondary degree more attainable.”

An average of two students in each state will receive DRIVE YOUR FUTURE core program scholarships in addition to students from youth organizations such as: Automotive High School, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, FIRST Robotics, Girls Inc., The Mal Washington Foundation, Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation, Teach For America, Virtual Enterprises and Young Women’s Leadership School. Scholarship recipients will be requested to serve as “ambassadors of Mercedes-Benz USA philanthropy” by giving back to their communities through activities such as mentoring/tutoring younger students.

DRIVE YOUR FUTURE Performance Awards will be presented to one student per state majoring in music, theater/drama, dance and film. Additionally, through sales of the Special Edition GL-Class, MBUSA will donate an additional $1 million to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s National Arts and Music Education Initiative (NAMEI) which was developed to help reverse declining public resources available for arts education.

About Mercedes-Benz USA

Headquartered in Montvale, N.J., MBUSA is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. Through its philanthropic program, MBUSA focuses on educating and empowering future generations, particularly those who are underserved. The company views education as an opportunity to ensure that as many of today’s youth as possible are given the tools, guidance and support they need to reach their full potential. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at www.mbusa.com and www.maybachusa.com.

About Scholarship America

Scholarship America is a national nonprofit organization that expands access to educational opportunities by involving and assisting the private sector in the support of students and the encouragement of educational achievement. More information is available at www.scholarshipamerica.org.