PLANO, Texas, May 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With high school
commencement ceremonies across the nation cancelled,
valedictorians, salutatorians and student bodies alike are missing
out on one of the defining moments of graduation: the speech. The
speech has become a lasting imprint for seniors, a voice for each
graduating generation, and now thousands of students are losing
their platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, Doritos is announcing "Doritos Valedictorian," a program
designed to give a major platform to graduating seniors to have
their voices heard by millions across the nation — considerable
compared to the average high school class size of 500. And in a
sense, Doritos is redefining who a valedictorian can be: someone
who carries an incredibly strong message, and who represents the
resilient spirit of their graduating class. Yes, GPA is important,
but equally important is inspiring a generation of seniors to rise
to the next level during this trying time.
Starting today, graduating seniors can submit a short version
speech (2 minutes) for the chance to be heard by listeners
nationwide via iHeartMedia's podcast special Commencement:
Speeches for the Class of 2020 available on iHeartRadio,
alongside some of the boldest thought-leaders and cultural icons
such as Katie Couric and John
Legend. Five speakers will be selected, who will each also each
receive $50,000 in tuition
assistance.
"The class of 2020 is missing out on so many memories, of course
the most notable of which is the entire graduation experience
itself," said Marissa Solis, SVP of
marketing, Frito-Lay North America.
"But even tucked within the graduation, we saw that the speech
element was such a cultural moment for these seniors, and now
they're losing that voice. Doritos is a brand that's long been
about giving a platform and voice to that next generation, so we
wanted to help take that platform to the next level."
On May 15, ahead of National
Graduation Day on May 17, Doritos
will publish a compilation of the five speeches as part of
iHeartMedia's commencement podcast series, which also features
cosmetics entrepreneur Bobbi Brown,
comedian Chelsea Handler,
restaurateur David Chang, and
numerous artists including Halsey, Kesha, DJ Khaled, Pitbull and
more.
Submissions are open starting at Noon CDT
Friday, May 1, through 11:59 P.M. CDT
on Monday, May 4. High school seniors can email submissions
to GradVoices@Doritos.com. Judging will be based on the overall
impact and inspiration of the speech, how compelling and inclusive
the story is, and authenticity and alignment to the overall theme.
For full rules, visit Doritos.com.
About Doritos and iHeartRadio's Commencement: Speeches for
the Class of 2020
Doritos Valedictorian ties into Doritos' overall efforts toward
championing the next generation, brought to life in previous
programs such as Crash the Super Bowl and Spark the Beat that have
unlocked doors and help elevate careers. Doritos is applying that
same mindset to high school graduations this summer with this
program and its new overall partnership with iHeartMedia's podcast
special Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020.
Doritos and iHeartMedia's goals are to broadcast podcast
episodes from notable thought-leaders and icons in business, media,
music, and sports intended to help prepare seniors for
post-graduate life. The entire series of episodes will be published
on May 15 in dedication to the
resilience, strength, and accomplishments of the class of 2020.
To learn more, visit Doritos.com
About Doritos
Doritos believes there's boldness in everyone. We champion those
who are true to themselves, who live life fully engaged and take
bold action by stepping outside of their comfort zone and pushing
the limits. Doritos is one of the many brands that makes up
Frito-Lay North America, the
$16 billion convenient foods business
unit of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in
Purchase, NY. Learn more about
Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the
Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion
times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the
world. PepsiCo generated more than $64
billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio
includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including
22 brands that generate more than $1
billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding
PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods
and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose"
reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and
embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
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SOURCE Frito-Lay North
America