MassMutual Announces Multicultural Scholarship Winners

Three Local Students Receive $5,000 Scholarships Toward Their Education


SPRINGFIELD, MA--(Marketwire - October 14, 2010) -  Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has announced the winners of The MassMutual Scholars Program. The company will award a total of $135,000 in scholarships to high-achieving multicultural students and provide potential financial services internship opportunities to outstanding candidates in 9 different metropolitan communities.

Winners in San Francisco, CA are: Angelica Virginia Guiao, University of San Francisco, Rachel Tsao and Sochi Ilene, University of California-Berkeley.

Students of African-American/Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic descent who reside or attend colleges/universities in the metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, San Antonio, New Jersey or Denver were eligible to apply for one of 28 college scholarships of up to $5,000. These students were required to meet certain academic criteria, such as having concentrations in the fields of business, economics, finance, financial planning, management, marketing or sales. The recipients also needed to have an interest in pursuing a career in the insurance and financial services industry.

MassMutual is collaborating with its local general agencies in the aforementioned cities to provide these scholarships to local students. Three scholarships are being awarded in each of the metropolitan areas.

"It is our pleasure as a local MassMutual agency to encourage and support these students to achieve their academic dreams. We believe communities and industries thrive when their members are educated and empowered," said Bob Fakhimi, General Agent of the San Francisco Bay Area Agency LLC, a member of the MassMutual Financial Group.

The San Francisco Bay Area Agency will be holding a scholarship presentation in the students' honor on October 15th at 9:00 am at 2121 N. California Blvd., Suite 395, Walnut Creek, CA.

The program was administered by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) in collaboration with UNCF and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF).

"We are so pleased that the collaboration between the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and MassMutual supports not only Latino students, but African American and Asian/Pacific Islander American students as well for this coming academic year," said Frank D. Alvarez, HSF President and CEO. "MassMutual's commitment to a diverse workforce and supporting diverse communities sets a great example for others to follow."

Students must have been a sophomore, junior or senior enrolled full-time at a U.S. accredited college or university majoring in business, economics, finance, financial planning, management, marketing or sales, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and reside or attend colleges or universities in the metropolitan areas noted above to be eligible; candidates were required to be a legal US citizen or permanent legal resident. Select MassMutual agencies will offer internship opportunities to scholarship recipients providing them exposure to a career in financial services.

"In these challenging times it is heartening to be able to give students a hand up when pursuing their dreams. Assisting students as they pursue and complete a college education helps them, their families and, ultimately, our industry and country succeed," said Nick Fyntrilakis, Assistant Vice President of Community Responsibility at MassMutual.

About MassMutual

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyholders. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders every year since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company's strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Founded in 1975 as a not-for-profit, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation's preeminent Latino scholarship organization, providing the Latino community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. During the 2007-2008 academic year, HSF awarded almost 4,100 scholarships exceeding $26.7 million. In its 33-year history, HSF has awarded in excess of 86,000 scholarships, worth more than $250 million, to Latinos attending nearly 2,000 colleges and universities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information about HSF, please visit: WWW.HSF.NET.

Contact Information:

Contact:
Erica Zeidenberg
925-631-0553