The University of Redlands and Bridgestone Firestone officials have established the $50,000 Bridgestone Firestone Endowed Scholarship designed to attract and retain women and minority students at the university.

College of Arts and Sciences students who are in good academic standing and are of sophomore, junior or senior rank will be eligible for the Bridgestone Firestone Endowed Scholarship for Women and Minority Students.  Once a student has been given an award from the scholarship fund, they will continue to receive the award for the rest of their enrollment.

“This was an opportunity to recognize the long-standing relationship the Bridgestone Firestone Company has with the University of Redlands and to recognize the quality education afforded students at Redlands,” said Johan Gallo, a 1986 and 1989 graduate of the university and the Bridgestone Firestone Manager of Human Resources and Government & Agency Affairs, Western Zone.

“Helping students, particularly women and minority students, realize their educational dreams fits our company’s strong commitment to diversity,” he said.

In 1998, Michael Galindo became the first intern at Bridgestone Firestone from the University of Redlands, starting a partnership between the university and company.

Galindo, a 2001 graduate, is now the company’s district manager of the San Gabriel and Inland Empire Area.

Today, 12 University of Redlands graduates work in the Western zone alone for Bridgestone Firestone.

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