At Shamrock Company, we say go ahead, pursue every passion! We believe that team members have enormous potential and if secondary education is part of your plan, we’re ready to support that journey. That’s why we offer scholarships and also encourage Taco Bell team members to apply for a Live Más Scholarship. We’re excited to announce that three of our own are receiving Live Más support this year!
“I embody the Live Más energy by actually doing what I love instead of just thinking about it.”
-Pahola Lara, Live Más Scholar
Congratulations to Adam Ghannam, Pahola Lara and Kassandra Gutierrez, all of whom are receiving $5,000 each from Taco Bell Foundation. Note: Kassandra is a repeat winner!
Live Más scholarship support has allowed working student and collegiate athlete Kassandra Gutierrez to take more classes, get ahead on her academic plan and reduce work hours!
Learn más about this year’s impressive winners:
Adam Ghannam didn’t think college was going to be worth it. For a long time, he says, the teachers he encountered weren’t that great and he wondered, if teachers are like this now, why would college professors be any different? And then Adam was assigned the same teacher for several subjects and her passion was palpable.
“I thought … I want to be able to be like that,” he says in reflection. “To understand people younger than me on an emotional level while still being able to teach them and help them grow as a person. I felt so inspired by her.”
Sometimes, it just takes one special person to make a difference! Now, Adam is pursuing the same passion: education and youth development.
Pahola Lara is currently enrolled in a community college and plans to one day transfer to a university to secure a bachelor’s degree in human resource management. She’s passionate about the workplace environment, something that she first took interest in during high school.
“The impact I hope to make is to ensure places of employment are filled with passionate and qualified people, and that they enjoy their time working,” she says of her career focus.
Already wiser than her years, Pahola recognizes that taking care of people benefits a company as a whole. “Connecting what I learn in school to work makes it all feel like a full circle moment,” she shares.
Finally, second-time recipient Kassandra Gutierrez’s passion is marine conservation. Receiving her first Live Más Scholarship allowed her to take more classes, enroll in upper division courses as a sophomore, cut back on work hours and complete her scuba diving certification. Imagine the possibilities with this second scholarship!
Kassandra recently applied to some of the nation’s top marine biology programs for the 2026-27 school year and is awaiting results. We’re sending her all the good vibes.
“Live your life to the fullest because this is the only life you have!”
-Kassandra Gutierrez, Live Más Scholar
Congratulations, scholars. We’re so proud of your pursuit of careers you’re passionate about and how you juggle work and school!
Adam Ghannam, Store # 040351
Passion: Education & Youth Development
Pahola Lara, Store # 015773
Passion: Business, Finance & Entrepreneurship
Kassandra Gutierrez*, Store #004442
Passion: Environment, Climate & Natural Resources
*Scholarship renewal