Honda North America’s (HNA) Hispanic Scholarship program brought 14 scholars from around the county, and their guests, to Ohio this week for two days of activities.

Upon arrival, the students gathered at the Columbus Idea Foundry and enjoyed dinner, while also participating in hands-on activities like leather working, blacksmithing, welding, virtual reality and 3D printing.

“I really enjoyed the welding. I always wanted to do it,” said Manuel Lopez, an electrical engineering major at University of Texas at Austin after the event.

The following day, the students had breakfast and heard from Honda leaders including Hugo Beltran, an associate chief engineer for Quality and Engineering Technical Services for HNA and Mike Marrero, both of whom shared their experiences growing up and provided inspiration for the students.

Marrero, manager of HNA’s Corporate Compliance/Ethics division, shared his background of starting his career as a restaurant owner, attending night classes to get his bachelor’s degree and deciding to leave law school because of family obligations.

He encouraged students to use “tactful persistence” to pursue their dreams. “When you have a goal, it is important that you’re persistent, but not in a nagging way … in a way that takes into account everyone’s needs.”

His keynote was followed by a presentation of the scholarship awards. Each student received a scholarship up to $5,000 to help pay for tuition, books and living expenses, pending verification of fall enrollment.

The students, who qualified for the program by earning at least a 3.0 grade point average, also traveled to Marysville, for an inside look at Honda’s manufacturing, and research and development operations. This trip included a tour of the Honda Heritage Center Museum, which tells the story of Honda’s North American history through an array of historic and current products.

“Honda believes in the next generation of leaders and with the proper support, their ability to achieve a college education,” said Yvette Hunsicker, assistant vice president of the HNA’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity. “My hope is that they will all be working here at Honda someday.”