Celebrating Hispanic Heritage: HSF Alums are Living the American Dream

When Edgar Sandoval left his native Venezuela with $50 in his pocket and hopes in his heart for a better life in the United States, all he could think about was his sister who was waiting for him at the airport and the mother he had left behind. At Wednesday night's Hispanic Scholarship Fund Hall of Fame Gala, he told the crowd a story about when he first arrived at the Admissions Office at Rutgers University. "I want to be an engineer," said the young Sandoval, whose SAT scores according to the admissions counselor was "not up to par" for most students entering into the School of Engineering. He was recommended to study Sociology. He said, "so I received my Bachelors Degree in Sociology and then I received my Masters Degree in Industrial Engineering."

This is the perseverance and determination that all 5 inductees of this year's 8th Annual Hispanic Scholarship Fund Hall of Fame Gala displayed on Wednesday night. The emcee of the event was none other than CNBC's personal finance correspondent, Carmen Wong Ulrich. This year's inductees and honorees were:

- Triunfador, Carmen Baez, President, DAS Latin America, Omnicom Group
- Brillante, Adam Aponte, M.D., Medical Director, Brownsville Multi-Service Family Health Center
- Optimista, Edgar Figueroa, Executive Director of The Wi-Fi Alliance
- Altruista, Sandra R. Hernandez, M.D., CEO of The San Francisco Foundation
- Inspirador, Edgar Sandoval, General Manager, North America Marketing at Procter & Gamble

Zaily Valloy, a student attending Fordham University addressed the crowd and recognized Goldman Sachs and their brand new program, 10,000 Women. This program is designed to increase the number of underserved women receiving a business and management education and also improve the quality and capacity of business and management education around the world. Ms. Valloy was selected as one of the first women to be a part of this program and took the opportunity last night to thank her mother and recognize her as the inspiration and role model in her life. In its 34 year history, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has awarded close to $280M in scholarships to more than 90,000 students in need. For more information on how to apply for scholarships, you can go to www.HSF.net.

Photos via Hispanic Heritage Fund

Tags 10000 Women, Carmen Wong Ulrich, CNBC, Education, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Politics