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SALINAS, Calif. (KSBW) – Nearly two dozen people are getting a chance to attend college thanks to a California McDonald’s franchise owner’s charitable foundation.
The Raymond Costa family scholarship foundation gave scholarships to 21 McDonald’s employees or their children.
Mohamed Abdulla said he is going into his third year at Cal State Monterey Bay, majoring in molecular biology and a minor in business. His dream is to be a physician’s assistant and help the community.
“it’s kind of personal why I want to be in the medical field. My grandma went through a medical issue, and I felt like I couldn’t do anything to help her,” Abdulla said.
Abdulla came to the U.S. in 2012 from Yemen and is the first in his family to attend college.
“It impacted me but also got me to go to college. To do something, my parents have never done. It means a lot,” Abdulla said.
Abdulla is a McDonald’s employee and has earned $15,000 from the Raymond Costa Family Scholarship Foundation.
Since 2017, the Raymond Costa Family Scholarship Fund has given more than $343,000 in scholarships to 120 employees, many of whom, like Abdulla, are first-generation college-goers.
Many are also Hispanic and Latino.
“Almost all of our crew goes to college somewhere. They are making their lives better, and I’m happy to be a part of that,” Raymond Costa said. “Every year, we look forward to announcing the new candidates. Sometimes, this is the only scholarship they get, and it’s from our foundation and me.”
This year, the 21 scholarships ranged from $1,500 to $5,000.
For Costa, this is personal with growing up working in the fields and losing his father at a young age. Now, he makes it his mission to give back to others.
“I came from working in the fields. I used to move the sprinkler pipe. So, I know what it is,” Costa said. “I’m just blessed that the businesses here can afford to give this money, and I like helping people.”
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