BUSINESSWOMAN GLORIA MIRAZO CHOSEN AS FIRST RECIPIENT OF HISPANIC LEADERSHIP MASTER’S GRANT AT DREXEL’S CENTER FOR GRADUATE STUDIES IN SACRAMENTO

SACRAMENTO, December 17, 2008 – Drexel University and the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced today that Gloria Mirazo of Sacramento has been awarded the inaugural Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant, which supports a student pursuing a degree at Drexel’s new Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies.

Mirazo will be among the first group of students to attend classes in January at the new Graduate Center at One Capitol Mall. The master’s programs are designed for working adults like Mirazo who are seeking to position themselves for professional success. The Hispanic Leadership Master’s Grant was awarded in a competitive process to the student admitted to Drexel who the awards committee believed held great promise for future leadership in Greater Sacramento’s Hispanic Community.

“It is important for the leadership of any community to reach out to train the next generation of leaders,” said Amador S. Bustos, President/CEO of Bustos Media LLC and the Chair of the Master’s Grant award committee. “We were very impressed when Drexel University reached out to us and offered to support our community. It is a real testament to Drexel’s commitment to diversity and to being an active member of our community.”

“The Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is excited to partner with Drexel University in presenting this prestigious grant to such a wonderful member of our community,” said Nick Montoya, Chairman of the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors committee and President and CEO of Megaphone Communications. “This scholarship reflects our shared dedication to education, and to developing future leaders in the Hispanic community.”

Mirazo, who received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley, is a sales manager for the mortgage division of Wells Fargo. A Wells Fargo employee for five years, she has also found time to become a community leader. Mirazo is the president-elect of the Sacramento Chapter of the National Latina Business Women’s Association and has been involved in many Hispanic community projects.

“I’ve had aspirations to complete an MBA ever since my graduation from Berkeley, and the chance to begin that process is finally here,” said Mirazo, who was born in Mexico and immigrated with her parents to Sacramento at age six. “Although it is going to be very challenging and demanding, I’m thrilled and excited at the wonderful new opportunity that Drexel has provided.”

Founded in Philadelphia in 1891, Drexel University draws its strength from its close connections to the business and civic community in Philadelphia, and is looking to replicate those partnerships in Sacramento.

“Sacramento is one of the most diverse communities in the United States,” said Carl (Tobey) Oxholm, Drexel’s Executive Vice President. “New to the region as we are, we made it a priority to demonstrate our commitment to this community. Our objective is to prepare the next generation of leaders in this region, and we are delighted to be able to partner with the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to support up-and-coming business and community leaders like Gloria Mirazo. She is exactly the type of working adult who we are looking for to help achieve success in their careers.”

Drexel is offering nine master’s programs in careers aligned with Greater Sacramento’s growth and economic development initiatives — entrepreneurial business, information science, engineering, health care, and education — as well as the leadership skills the region’s business, non-profit and government sectors seek.

The programs are offered after work, Mondays through Thursdays, in both face-to-face and on-line formats, the mix of which will depend on the specific program and subjects being covered. This blending of instructional methods gives students maximum flexibility in pursuing their degrees, enhanced by more than $1 million in the best instructional technology available at the Drexel Graduate Center. Drexel will begin offering four highly ranked master’s programs next month at its Graduate Center: Business Administration, Higher Education, Information Systems, and Library and Information Science. To these four it will add five new master’s programs in September 2009: Engineering Management, Human Resource Development, Science of Instruction, Nursing Education and Faculty Role, and Nursing Leadership/Health Systems Management. Drexel’s Sacramento Center features state-of-the-art classrooms including wireless access for student laptops and technology support. Students will be linked to all the resources of Drexel’s main campus, including program resources, financial aid, libraries and career development assistance. Onsite staff will meet the needs of students and faculty, providing a high level of support throughout the educational process. Drexel will also offer its students the ability to meet and learn from business, civic and community leaders, as it does with such success in Philadelphia.