Free Airline Tickets Hispanic College Students

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES AND THE HISPANIC ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (HACU) OPEN TRAVEL PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS  www.southwest.com

ESSAY CONTEST TO AWARD FREE AIRLINE TICKETS TO HISPANIC COLLEGE STUDENTS
Southwest Airlines and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities have announced an essay contest, “Dándole Alas a Tu Éxito/Giving Flight to Your Success,” its annual education travel award program.  This program starts today with online applications at www.hacu.net/hacu/Lanzate_EN.asp accepted through June 5, 2009.  A panel of judges comprised of college professors and education advocates from coast to coast will gather in the summer to select the students who will receive free travel to their colleges and universities.

Free Airline Tickets Essay

Each student is eligible to receive from one to four tickets which the student or an immediate family member can use in the Fall to travel to/from a college or university.  The travel tickets are awarded to undergraduate and graduate Hispanic students with socio-economic need who journey away from home to pursue higher education.  All of the participants must submit an essay explaining why they deserve the travel award and what inspires them to pursue a college degree. http://www.hacu.net/hacu/Lanzate_EN.asp.  Applications are due Friday, June 5, 2009.

GUIDELINES
Basic Qualifications:
• Student must be enrolled in a college or university away from their designated home.
• Student must be in good academic standing.
• Student must have a minimum 2.5 GPA.
• Applicants must be 18 years old or older.
• Recipient must be a legal U.S. resident.
All federal government regulations related to air travel and Transportation Security Administration rules must be adhered to, including but not limited to producing a valid government issued photo ID for air travel.
• One application per student must be submitted by the specified deadline of June 5, 2009.
• Needed travel must be to/from Southwest Airlines destinations
• Student should specify extent of financial need or constraints

Essay:
• Student must write a personal essay addressing questions as outlined in the application. Each essay length should be between 300 and 500 words using proper English writing and grammar skills.
• Student must demonstrate or discuss socio-economic need in the essay such as financial need, cultural considerations, etc.
• The essay may be written in Spanish. However, the student must also write the same essay in English for his/her application to be evaluated.

Verification:
• HACU will verify academic standing and financial need with the respective universities after the selection committee makes their final recommendations.
• Academic standing and financial need verification will take place with the respective college or university prior to final selection and distribution of the travel award to the student.
• Student must submit a transcript and certificate of enrollment from the university that she/he is attending. Documents must be postmarked by June 8, 2009.

Judging:
• Student must submit an online application.
• The application must be completed in its entirety. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated.
• Selection variables from the online application include, among others: application information, well written essay, essay explanations of compelling circumstances, cultural factors, financial need, etc.
• Student should identify direct or parental ties to a specific country to determine Hispanic origin.
• A selection committee of national education advocates and community leaders will determine the recipients and the number of tickets (one to four tickets) per student.
• All decisions on the recipients are final.

Award & Notification
¡Lánzate! /Take Off! Travel Award:
• Student must travel to/from any Southwest Airlines destination on published service only. NOTE: The application will have drop-down menu for students to select Southwest Airlines destinations only.
• Ground transportation, hotel accommodations, and travel expenses are not provided. Recipients are responsible for transportation to and from the nearest Southwest Airlines destination.
• Tickets will bear the date of issue and date of expiration. All travel must be completed by the date of expiration valid through the following academic year. These dates will not be extended under any circumstances.
• Tickets are nontransferable and have no monetary value. Tickets are void if sold, purchased, brokered, or bartered.
• Students must meet all rules of the sponsoring organizations.
• All recipients must comply with the Southwest Airlines Contract of Carriage.

Notification:
• HACU will send an e-mail acknowledging only receipt of the application.
• No notification will be sent as to whether the application is incomplete or complete.
• HACU will contact all students by late-July 2009 via e-mail regarding the final selections.
• Selected students will receive a personalized letter, an award certificate and the determined number of tickets from Southwest Airlines by August 31, 2009.

With more than 1,000 applicants in the last four years, “Lánzate/Take Off” is a successful educational program that serves underprivileged students, providing free travel for them and their families to maximize their potential and create opportunities for growth.

“The ‘Lánzate/Take Off’ travel award allows a student to go home during Christmas break or allows a parent to see their child at graduation,” said Christine Ortega, Southwest Airlines Corporate Community Affairs Manager.  “This contact removes barriers and gives each student more confidence to pursue their dreams of higher education without worrying about the family’s economic hardships,” says Ortega.
HACU, which has its national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, represents approximately 450 colleges and universities, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which collectively serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students in the United States and Puerto Rico.  HACU’s international membership includes leading higher education institutions in Latin America and Europe.

After nearly 38 years of service, Southwest Airlines continues to offer the best value in airline travel, allowing Customers the opportunity to travel nonstop throughout the country at a very low fare. Southwest does not charge fees for the first or second checked bag, or for snacks or changes in travel itineraries.  Since 1987, the airline has maintained the lowest ratio of customer complaints to enplanements as published in the Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report.  Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), the nation’s largest carrier in terms of domestic passengers enplaned, currently serves 65 cities in 33 states. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 employees system-wide.

Thanks to companies like Southwest that value helping college students by providing Hispanic scholarships for those in need of help.