Everett & Doris Bernardo Family Foundation

The Everett & Doris Bernardo Foundation was established in 2007 to help educate and encourage Hispanic students to pursue 4 year college degrees. Everett Bernardo was born in Tampa, Florida, coming from parents that immigrated from the Northern part of Spain in the early 1900’s. Everett was from a hard working large family of seven—six boys and one girl. He was the only one who sought out furthering his education beyond high school. No one was there to support him financially, yet he truly believed that he could achieve so much more if he obtained a college degree. He worked at his family’s grocery store and worked throughout his college career to support himself. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1940 and was sought after by NACA, a predecessor to NASA. He worked in the rocket propulsion area within NACA for 11 years and then formed his own rubber and plastics company in Chicago where it is still running strong today. Everett died in 1992 of a complication from an operation.

Everett believed that higher education serves as a catalyst for better options and more opportunity. The Foundation was started with a vision to make a difference in the lives of young Hispanic people. The vision of this scholarship is to reach Hispanic students in achieving potential life goals that might not otherwise be obtainable without financial assistance. It seeks to develop the next generation of Hispanic professionals in America.