Southwest Airlines has partnered with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) to offer college students free travel -- yep, free airfare -- with an educational travel award program called "Dandole Alas a Tu Exito / Giving Flight to Your Success."
More Student Travel Quick Tips
What will I win?
College students meeting requirements below and penning the best 300-500 word essay by June 19 on two travel and education questions will win up to two tickets for travel to a college anywhere Southwest flies (62 destinations as of spring 2006). HACU embraces the importance of "la familia" to any college journey, hence the extra ticket.Why are they giving away free travel?
The HACU wants you to succeed in school even if it means traveling long distances to attend the college of your choice, and quotes the Pew Hispanic Center: "... experts on Hispanic college students believe attainment levels would improve if students were more willing to travel longer distances to colleges well suited to meet their needs."How can I win?
To win the air ticket scholarship, you must:
- Be currently enrolled in college
- Provide a transcript proving a 2.5 GPA
- Demonstrate socio-economic need -- although the expense of traveling to a university is an obvious choice, you may also wish to ask if you may use the ticket scholarship for educational travel or independent study
- Write answers to the first and one of the second following three questions, using your best grammar and creative writing skills:
- "What are your challenges in working toward higher education?"
- "If you could have someone travel with you to your college or university, who would that be and why?"
- "How do you believe that obtaining air travel to the university would benefit you and your family?"
How do I apply?
- Get an application at the HACU website
- Download a "Certification of Enrollment and Class Level form" and have a school official, like your advisor, complete it
- Mail the completed application, transcript and certification to :
- ¡Lanzate! Travel Award Program
HACU National Headquarters
8415 Datapoint Drive Suite 400
San Antonio, TX 78229
When will I know whether I've won?
Air travel scholarship winners will be notified in the week of August 7, 2006.
Good luck!
