This year, 38,000 Hispanic students from across the country applied for Hispanic College Fund scholarships. Of the 500 students who won a scholarship, 35 were chosen to fly to Washington, D.C. to attend the exclusive Karen Márquez Institute, a professional development program hosted by the Hispanic College Fund.

Cesar Garibaldo is on of these young leaders who spent four days in the nation's capital learning professional etiquette, practicing interviewing skills with Fortune 100 hiring managers, and participating in a congressional briefing on Latinos' educational access. At the end of the trip, Garibaldo was honored for his achievements at the Hispanic College Fund's 16th annual Portraits of Success gala.

Cesar Garibaldo is a senior at the University of Nevada Reno majoring in Accounting and Information Systems. "Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed of being a businessman and joining corporate America, partially because I knew businessmen had a lot of money, which my family needed. In college, I discovered Accounting and Information Systems. Accounting has allowed me to apply my problem solving skills and has allowed me to work on databases and web design, which are two of my greatest passions. I know that these two majors complement each other and are going to help me brand myself and set me apart from the competition. Over the last four years I have had the opportunity to intern with five different companies, which allowed me to use the skills I acquired in the classroom in a real life environment. These experiences have also reassured me that I am pursuing the right career ."

The Karen Márquez Institute was founded in 2004 and originally named the Hispanic Young Professionals program. It was re-named in 2009 to honor the late Karen Márquez, a Hispanic College Fund supporter and strong advocate for professional development programs for Latino youth. To date, the program has served over 150 Latino students from across the country, launching them into graduate school and professional careers. Next year, the program will be integrated into the Hispanic College Fund's highly successful scholarship program, which awards nearly $3 million in scholarship per year. With this integration, KMI will serve more students.

Founded in 1993, the Hispanic College Fund is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., with a mission to develop the next generation of Hispanic professionals. For 15 years, the Hispanic College Fund has provided educational, scholarship, and mentoring programs to students throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, establishing a career pipeline of talented and career-driven Hispanics who are trained in the fields of business, science, technology, engineering and math.

For more information, visit www.hispanicfund.org.