From pitch to payoff: 6 students win $25K scholarships from Taco Bell
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Six Live Más Scholarship finalists gathered on a small stage at Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine last week to find out which one of them would win the scholarship for the best business pitch they’d created for the restaurant chain.
In a surprise twist, all six walked away winners, with the Taco Bell Foundation awarding each of them a $25,000 scholarship.
“The Taco Bell Foundation exists to empower the next generation to Live Más,” said Morgan Tabor, executive director of the Taco Bell Foundation.
Tristan Hightower, Katelyn Lewis, Ethan Cho, Victoria Vallin, Eliana Horn and Alyssa Moucka reacted with surprised gasps as purple confetti fell from the ceiling and they were each handed a giant cardboard check representing their award.
The students were participants of the first Live Más Lab, a “Shark Tank”-style pitch experience where the applicants presented solutions for real brand challenges directly to Taco Bell executives.
Hightower, for example, pitched a Mexican pizza remix concept, a music-inspired marketing campaign that re-imagined the Taco Bell menu staple for a new generation.
Lewis tapped into the timely protein trend by pitching a “Pumped Up” menu that would allow customers to add more protein to existing Taco Bell drinks and snacks.
Cho, a Cypress student attending UC Berkeley, pitched the idea of a sustainable, community garden designed to mitigate food waste and feed the community.
In his pitch, Cho shared about a tumor he developed in his mouth in high school that required multiple surgeries to remove. After each procedure, he was put on a liquid diet that he admits wasn’t very satisfying, but gave him a new perspective.
“I was stuck only eating soup, only drinking water and that was when I was introduced to the pain of hunger.” said Cho.
Experiencing hunger for himself inspired Cho to try to tackle food insecurity in his community, starting with food waste.
“I would go to local restaurants to take their food waste and at the time, I had a partnership with a local community garden,” said Cho. “We turned the food waste into compost and we were able to grow produce that we were able to give back to the community.”
His pitch included creating community gardens in the areas where Taco Bell operates, which could then use the restaurant’s food waste to grow food and make a local impact.
Taylor Montgomery, global chief brand officer for Taco Bell, was among the scholarship judges. He said he was impressed with the ideas the students brought to the table.
“I think they all stood out for different reasons,” Montgomery said. “The range of the ideas we got back speak to the magic and the beauty of Taco Bell brand. I think there were ideas that would really help us deepen our purpose, like the community garden.”
The Live Más Scholarship is now in its second decade and is open to both Taco Bell fans and Taco Bell team members. This year the foundation received more than 41,000 applications, the most in the program’s history. A new new dual-format application, which allowed students to apply via video or essay is credited, in part for the growth.
“We are always evaluating how we can increase and expand our impact,” Tabor said. “Growth like this tells us we’re building something that resonates far beyond a traditional scholarship.”
Tabor also emphasized the additional support Live Más Scholars receive.
“The financial support is amazing and life changing, but it is everything that comes with it that really changes their lives,” said Tabor. “We do things like mentorship, career pathway programming, career exposure programming and we offer financial well-being support.”
This year, the Taco Bell Foundation awarded a record $14.5 million to its largest class of scholars to date.
Cho said he would encourage other students to apply.
“The Live Más Scholarship is definitely worthwhile,” said Cho. “I personally didn’t think I had a chance, but I shot my shot and thankfully, it landed.”
