GE Recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month; Provides Scholarships for 52 Hispanic Students to Attend College this Fall

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15), a time when the country celebrates the culture, heritage and contributions made by Hispanics in the U.S., GE released the following statement today from GE Energy Management Chief Technology Officer Juan de Bedout who also co-chairs GE’s Hispanic affinity group, the GE Hispanic Forum (HF):

“The GE Hispanic Forum is pleased to announce that it is providing college scholarships to 52 Hispanic students who started school this month. The HF launched a Hispanic Scholarship Fund in 2011 to provide financial resources to assist outstanding Hispanic college students. Within two years, the HF successfully raised $250,000 from employee donations, which has provided scholarships for 200 Hispanic students, some of whom are first-generation college attendees. This year, the HF has successfully raised a total of $70,000 for new scholarships with a goal of $100,000 by the end of 2014.

“Recently, the Forum also has been busy addressing local needs in cities across the country:

• In Chicago, the Hispanic Forum, along with members of the Consortium of Latino Employee Organizations, hosted a Hispanic Employee Resource Group summit with local Fortune 1,000 businesses such as Abbot, Baxter and Nielsen to identify ways to help drive greater Hispanic student participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. More than two dozen companies were asked to create pilot program ideas for Chicago schools that could encourage greater Hispanic participation in STEM fields. At the summit, finalists presented their ideas to a panel of judges, including Deputy Chicago Mayor Steve Koch. The winning proposal was a summer science camp for Hispanic students, which GE has committed to help fund in its first year.
• In Atlanta, the HF hosted a back-to-school summit to provide school supplies for a local school. More than 75 GE employees assembled back-to-school backpacks for North Park Elementary School filled with supplies such as pens, pencils, notebooks and healthy snacks.
• In Houston, the HF hosted a summit of more than 100 Hispanic leaders from oil and gas companies who gathered to promote professional growth and networking opportunities for local Hispanic professionals.

“For more than 15 years, the GE Hispanic Forum has made significant contributions to better prepare thousands of K-12 students for the 21st Century workforce and help others attend college, many for the first time in their families. The HF is incredibly proud of the work it has done to make a difference in the lives of Hispanic students and the community over the years. We are even more proud of the young Hispanics and GE employees whose lives have been enriched as a result.”

About the GE Hispanic Forum

The GE Hispanic Forum was established in 1996 as an employee-based resource group created to attract, retain and develop Hispanic talent within GE. The HF currently has over 3,100 members in the U.S. and globally who work to engage and support the Hispanic community at large.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.