Continental Airlines, Hispanic Education Organization Announce 'Destino: Latinoamerica' Contest

HOUSTON, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) and the Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund announce their 2010 essay/video contest, "Destino: Latinoamerica" ("Destination: Latin America") for Hispanic college students.

Participants must write a short essay or produce a three-minute video on the subject of Latin America's impact on U.S. culture and society.  First- and second-place winners, who will receive Continental Airlines tickets, will be recognized in October at Adelante!'s annual Leadership Institute for Hispanic college students in San Antonio.  

"More than half of Continental's international destinations are in Latin America and the Caribbean," said John Slater, staff vice president, Latin America, Continental.  "Our goal is for the 'Destino: Latinoamerica' program to increase Hispanic students' awareness of the importance of Latin America to the United States, while helping to prepare them for career paths in a global marketplace."

"Adelante! helps put Hispanic students on the road to college graduation and arms them with the tools they need to become leaders after they graduate," said Andria Castillo, executive director, Adelante!, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to increase Hispanic college graduation rates.  "Continental Airlines' 'Destino: Latinoamerica' contest gives our students an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and their knowledge of their cultural roots."  

Deadline for essay or video submission is May 28, 2010.  Essays must be between 200-300 words and may be written in English or Spanish. Videos must be no more than three minutes long (in English or Spanish) and must not contain any offensive language or images.

The "Destino: Latinoamerica" contest is open to legal U.S. residents of Hispanic descent currently enrolled in a college or university.  Students from all majors may participate, but must have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Participants should include a cover letter with name, address, telephone, college name, major and date of graduation; and proof of enrollment and GPA with their entries.  All applicants must mail the listed items to Sarah Ramos, Program Coordinator, Adelante! U.S. Education Fund, Continental Airlines "Destino: Latinoamerica" Contest, 8415 Datapoint Drive, Ste. 400, San Antonio, Texas 78229.  Essays and video submissions on DVD should be sent with the required documents.

The first-prize winner will receive four Continental Airlines tickets for any Continental destination in the continental U.S., Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean; the second-place winner will receive two tickets.  First-place winning entries will be posted on Adelante!'s Web site; if the winner is a video, it also will be posted on Adelante!'s YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/AdelanteFund).  Applicants may submit entries in each category.

Judges will include representatives from Continental and Adelante!'s leadership advisory board; they will evaluate the essays/videos for clarity of expression, originality and creativity.  

Continental also is providing tickets for several Adelante! scholarship winners to attend the October Leadership Institute.

About Continental Airlines

Latin America and the Caribbean account for more than half of Continental Airlines' international destinations.  Continental offers service to 71 destinations in 23 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including nonstop service to 29 destinations in Mexico – more than any other airline. Continental also offers nonstop service to more Central American cities (10) than any other U.S. airline and serves seven South American destinations. A pioneer in "Latinization," Continental offers a number of Spanish-language services, including bilingual flight attendants on many flights to Latin America; bilingual airport personnel, reservations agents and signage; and a Spanish-language Web site at www.continental.com/espanol.  

About Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund

The Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund, a national nonprofit organization based in San Antonio, Texas, was established in 1993 to address the issue of lack of college attendance and graduation among U.S. Hispanics.  The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) and the Miller Brewing Company are the founding organizations of the Adelante! Fund, whose mission is to inspire Hispanic students to graduate and lead through scholarship, internship and  leadership training. Adelante! continues that same focus today, providing financial support to enable Hispanic students to graduate from college and preparing them for leadership roles upon entering the workforce.  Since its designation as a 501(c)3 organization in 1997, the Adelante! Fund has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to Hispanic undergraduate students across the nation, and has provided career development, leadership training and internship opportunities to hundreds of promising young Hispanic college students. For more information or to make a donation, please visit  or contact Andria Castillo, Executive Director, at 210-692-1971 or [email protected].

SOURCE Continental Airlines