McDonald’s announced today that it is teaming up with television host Yul Kwon and dancer/actor/singer Victor Kim to inspire high school students to achieve their academic dreams as part of the 2012 McDonald’s College Workshop Program, a cross-country series which kicked off in June in San Francisco and ends in October in Seattle. Yul Kwon and Victor Kim will each participate in one of the two local workshops coming to the New York Tri-State Area.

Tour schedule and locations for the NY/NJ area are:
• September 29: Hope Presbyterian in Teaneck, New Jersey with Victor Kim
• October 13: Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel, Flushing, New York with Yul Kwon
“McDonald’s understands the critical role education plays in the lives of Asian Pacific Americans and is committed to expand the college workshop program.” said Vivian Chen, Director of Ethnic Marketing, McDonald’ USA, “We are proud to present the community with more college workshops this year, helping students reach their full potential to achieve success in school and in life.”

At the college workshops, McDonald’s education booth features three interactive activities to engage visitors. Bilingual brand ambassadors are available to provide resources and information on the education opportunities supported by McDonald’s that are available for young people.

This year, McDonald’s is bringing two new activities which integrate achievement moments and messages to inspire success. The all new McDonald’s Education Maze Daze, an interactive game, offers participants a fun experience to accomplish six important criteria to reach their dream school by navigating through the exciting maze within a time limit. The six criteria are grades/test scores, strength of curriculum, class rank, recommendations, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated interest.

In addition, McDonald’s also provide visitors the opportunity to be featured on virtual magazines highlighting their favorite guest speaker’s success tip. The customized magazine cover can be downloaded and shared with friends and family. This serves as a positive reminder to participants to stay focus through hard work, diligence and persistence. McDonald’s recognizes that every student has talent and encourages them to pursue their passion and strive for success.

Aside from the fun and engaging activities, special guests such as Ronald McDonald and Sing Tao Education Expo from McDonald’s Guest Speaker Series will be present at the McDonald’s booth to meet and greet the visitors at 2 PM on June 30.

“Choosing which college to go to can be the biggest decision of a young person’s life.” said Harry Shum Jr. “With McDonald’s Education Workshop, students can make an informed decision and seek guidance to navigate through the college admissions process. This is a program that would have definitely helped me out.”

Find McDonald’s on Twitter.com/McDonalds where you can join the conversation and follow the college workshop using #McDEduTour. For information about the 2012 McDonald’s college workshop program and video clips of McDonald’s guest speakers, please visit www.myinspirasian.com.

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