Press Release: Foundation, Ember Media, Offer Free Bi-Lingual Education CD-ROM for Hispanics

Ember Media and the William J. Clinton Foundation are launching The Key2: An Interactive Guide to the Top Colleges and Universities for Hispanics, a bi-lingual CD-ROM for Hispanic students. President and CEO of Ember Media Clayton Banks announced that this free CD-ROM is available at www.thekey2.com and will be distributed to over 5400 public schools and libraries nationwide and through various partnerships and publications. Ember Media, a full-service multimedia production studio and interactive publishing company, created this innovative CD-ROM to make information about the college application process more accessible to Hispanic students, parents and educators. TheKey2 is the follow-up to TheKey: An Interactive Guide to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a CD-ROM designed for the African-American community. TheKey family of CD-ROMS underscores former President Clinton’s commitment to helping students pursue higher education and Ember Media’s commitment to helping underserved communities achieve academic success.

“In the U.S. there are more than 17 million Hispanic Americans 24 years of age or younger, yet 31% of all Hispanic students drop out of high school, 4 times the rate of non-Hispanic whites,” said Clayton Banks, president and CEO of Ember Media. “TheKey2 is designed to help those Hispanic teens who might not necessarily have the financial means to take an SAT class or have access to tools and resources that help them prepare for college. Ember Media believes the future of the United States will be better served by offering this growing population with the information and access they need for future success.”

President Clinton said: “I hope this CD-ROM will help Hispanic students across the country achieve the dream of a college education by providing them with tools they can use to apply to school. With this knowledge, young Hispanics can have greater hope of realizing their dreams. As a nation, we have no higher priority than to ensure that all of our children have an opportunity to reach their full potential, and I’m particularly grateful to Ember Media for their partnership in bringing us closer to that goal.”

TheKey2 connects Hispanic students to a virtual guidance counselor that steers students and parents through the admissions and financial aid process. Moreover, TheKey2 will offer bilingual content so users can choose between Spanish and English to view profiles of over 200 schools, watch and hear video testimonials from Hispanic community leaders and celebrities, and access a free online SAT and ACT test preparation guide, along with tutorials for writing college essays and filling out applications.

Additional partners and sponsors of this groundbreaking interactive guide include MTV Networks, The Sallie Mae Fund, HBO Latino, MasterCard International Inc, Scripps Networks, Lifetime Television, NBC/Telemundo, The Princeton Review, Scholastic Inc., SparkNotes, Urban Latino Magazine, The Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Hispanic College Fund. Additionally, celebrities such as Bob Vila and Miss U.S.A. 2003 Susie Castillo are helping to market and promote this free CD-ROM.

The mission of the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation is to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. To accomplish this mission, the Foundation is currently focused on five critical areas: economic empowerment of the poor; racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation; fighting HIV/AIDS; citizen service; and leadership development. The Clinton Foundation’s other education initiatives include a partnership with The Princeton Review to provide underserved students with test prep courses. The Clinton Foundation is also administering the Harlem Small Business Initiative, which helps provide the best technical and managerial assistance to small business in Harlem, and other Harlem based projects including economic literacy and music enrichment programs in Harlem public schools and their after-school programs. For more information about the Clinton Foundation, please visit: www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Ember Media, www.embermedia.com, combines technological expertise with strategic marketing tactics to create a complete interactive marketing package. The company has been recognized around the world for its multimedia design and overall production sensibilities. Founded in August 1998, Ember Media is a privately held corporation with offices in New York and Tokyo. The HBCU Interactive Guide is the flagship project from Ember Media’s publishing division, focusing on the production and distribution of topical content on CD-ROM. TheKey2: An Interactive Guide to the Top Colleges and Universities for Hispanics is the next generation of TheKey family of CD-ROMS. CD-ROM’s can be ordered in small quantities through the websites www.thekey1.com, www.thekey2.com or via a toll free number 888-538-4455 for bulk orders.