Company awards $60,000 in scholarships to students in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., – Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) yesterday announced the winners of a new national multicultural scholarship program totaling $60,000 in scholarships and potential internship opportunities in financial services to outstanding multicultural college students.

Winners in Houston are: Malcolm Copeland, Cypress, Texas, attending Prairie View A & M University, Daniel Dela Rosa, Pasadena, Texas, attending University of Houston – Downtown, and Naushad Qasim, Houston, Texas, attending University of Houston.

Students of African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic descent who reside in the Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas were eligible to apply for one of (12) $5,000 college scholarships. These students were required to have concentrations in the fields of accounting, business, economics, finance, marketing, math or statistics. All three Houston students are majoring in accounting at their respective institutions.

MassMutual collaborated with Strategic Financial Group LLC, MassMutual's Houston agency, to provide the scholarships to local students. The program was administered by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF).

“MassMutual consistently looks for ways to encourage education and diversity, as well as promote those courses of study that are most important to the financial industry,” says Nick Fyntrilakis, Assistant Vice President, Community Responsibility, MassMutual. “This program extends our efforts to more effectively reach and serve a customer base that is increasingly diverse, and enables our local agencies to become even more directly involved with our educational endeavors in these communities. It is our hope that the best and brightest students in these cities will take advantage of this unique opportunity, and they will come to appreciate and strive for a rewarding career in financial services.”

“We are grateful that MassMutual is collaborating with HSF,” said Frank D. Alvarez, HSF President and CEO. “With this program, MassMutual recognizes that an investment in youth pays measurable returns for the communities where we live and work. We salute MassMutual for expanding opportunities for more students and increasing diversity at more college campuses.”

To be eligible, students must be of African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic descent, be a sophomore, junior or senior enrolled full-time at a U.S. accredited college or university majoring in accounting, business, economics, finance, marketing, math or statistics, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and reside in the Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles or San Francisco metropolitan areas; candidates must also be a legal US citizens or permanent legal resident. Select agencies will offer internship opportunities to scholarship recipients providing them exposure to a career in financial services.