Taco Bell® Foundation for Teens™ and YouTube Star Tyler Oakley Search for Next Student to Fill Coveted Teen Scholar Role

IRVINE, Calif., Sep 11, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Let the search begin! Today, Taco Bell® Foundation for Teens™ and its partner Get Schooled, together with celebrity ambassador and YouTube Sensation Tyler Oakley, kick off their first-ever “Graduate for Más™” Teen Scholar contest and are looking for one special high school student to fill the coveted position in 2015. To apply to be the next Teen Scholar, students are invited to make their promise to graduate and then submit a video entry at GraduateforMas.com explaining who they are, why they are a fit, and how they could help inspire their peers to graduate. Entries will be judged based on onscreen personality, ability to create content and engage with others, education and work ethic, and a passion to Live Más.

The student who is crowned as the new Teen Scholar will partake in a one-of-a-kind, yearlong journey as part of the Graduate for Más program, receiving exclusive opportunities that will help them along a future career path, while inspiring the rest of America’s teens to achieve más. Not only will the winner receive a $30,000 scholarship and hold the elite title of Teen Scholar for the Foundation, but he/she will also earn the opportunity to participate in a Taco Bell television ad, will be featured on in-restaurant Point of Purchase materials, and will have the chance to collaborate with the Foundation’s celebrity partners throughout the year.

“The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens inspires and enables future leaders in a way that’s fun and rewarding, and we will select an exceptional teen to be the 2015 Scholar. We are so excited for this individual to have access to exclusive career-development opportunities, a scholarship grant and a voice in our yearlong activations, so that they in turn can help us inspire other teens to pursue their dreams,” said Regina Borda, Managing Director of the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens. “We are proud to partner with Tyler Oakley for this contest, since he is the perfect example of someone who turned their dreams into reality through hard work and commitment, and now is a voice to millions on YouTube. We are looking forward to receiving many great applications, and I already know that choosing from all of the amazing candidates will be hard!”

“Being involved in the search to find the next Teen Scholar is a big deal for me. I’m excited to be part of an organization that is providing life-changing opportunities and the right resources to teens,” said YouTube personality Tyler Oakley. “Most of my viewers are teens, and they are passionate about so many different causes. The next Teen Scholar will help spread the inspiration to their peers to change the world!”

The Teen Scholar program was established last year as a pilot program and included teens with whom the Foundation had existing relationships, including a Taco Bell restaurant employee. This year, the program is open to students across the entire United States and will provide even more access and greater opportunities.

The Teen Scholar Contest runs from Wednesday, September 3 through Wednesday, September 17, and is hosted at GraduateforMas.com, where the Foundation and Get Schooled provide digital tools, support and an online community for students to stay on track. The winner will be announced in late September. For more information on the Taco Bell® Foundation for Teens™, visittacobellforteens.org. For information on the Graduate for Más™ program and the Teen Scholar Video Contest Official Rules, visit GraduateforMas.com.

About Taco Bell® Foundation for Teens™
Taco Bell Foundation Inc., also known as Taco Bell Foundation for Teens™, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation committed to inspiring and enabling America’s teens to graduate from high school and achieve más through its programs, partnerships, and direct financial assistance. Since 1992, the Foundation has served over 2 million teens in 6,000 communities across the country where Taco Bell restaurants have a presence. Through the support of our customers, franchisees, employees and vendor-partners over the last 20 years, the Foundation has awarded more than $45 million in grants and scholarships focused on education and career readiness. For more information on the Foundation and its commitment to teens – Taco Bell team members, friends and future leaders – visit tacobellforteens.org, and find us on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/TacoBell4Teens.

About Get Schooled
Get Schooled is a non-profit organization that directly engages and motivates students to graduate from high school and succeed in college. Get Schooled is the premiere education brand for young people – linking students with high quality, cutting edge resources and tools they need to succeed. Get Schooled has developed a track record of success because it engages with young Americans using the media, technology and popular culture that is an integral part of their lives. Get Schooled's work is boosted by partners like Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In its first two years, Get Schooled has engaged more than 2.5 million young Americans and has built a network of more than 325 middle and high schools.

About Taco Bell Corp.
Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., is the nation's leading Mexican-inspired quick service restaurant. Taco Bell serves made to order and customizable tacos, burritos, and specialties such as the exclusive Doritos® Locos Tacos, gourmet- inspired Cantina Power Menu and lower calorie Fresco Menu. The company encourages customers to “Live Más,” both through its food and in ways such as its Feed The Beat® music program and its not-for-profit organization, the Taco Bell Foundation for Teens™. Taco Bell and its more than 350 franchise organizations have nearly 6,000 restaurants across the United States that proudly serve more than 36 million customers every week.

Contacts:
Taco Bell Corp.
Robyn Brown
m: 714-482-7761 
robyn.brown@yum.com

or 

Taylor Strategy 
Maggie Maskery, 212-714-5772 
mmaskery@taylorstrategy.com