A College Student Went to School For Free With Taco Bell’s Live Más Scholarship — Here’s How She Did It (Exclusive) – ryan

• East Tennessee State University student Crimsyn Price started working at her local Taco Bell in July 2019, where she found out about Taco Bell’s Live more Scholarship program
• Price was granted the scholarship her freshman year, amounting to $10,000, and continued renewing her funding during all four years of college
• PEOPLE spoke with Price about the program, her application process, and her future career aspirations of becoming a pediatrician

The prices of higher education are not declining anytime soon, and aspiring college graduates are getting creative with ways of funding their collegiate dreams.

Tennessee native Crimsyn Price, 22, took to Tiktok to explain how she funded her Bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) using Taco Bell’s Live More Scholarship.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the soon-to-be graduate shared how she learned about the scholarship and how she continued to benefit from it through her four years at university.

Price began working at her local Taco Bell in July 2019, for roughly two years. Within six months of starting, her general manager encouraged her to look into the application process. “I feel like it was one of those things where you get hired and they’re like, ‘Here’s our list of benefits,’ but you don’t actually go through and read all of it,” she confessed. However, her manager pointed out the program to her after learning the then-teen wanted to go to college.

“My boss had brought it up and was like, ‘Hey, the scholarship window is from this time. I think you’d be perfect for it. Apply, see what happens,’” Price recalled, adding that she wouldn’t have even considered the scholarship existed if her general manager hadn’t mentioned it to her.

Price recalled the application process being pretty straightforward, mainly requiring her to create a two-minute video detailing her passions, educational aspirations, and what she’d use the scholarship money for.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a Taco Bell Foundation spokesperson explained that the scholarship is less focused on “grades or test scores” and aims to support young people (ages 16 to 26) who are pursuing higher education and are passionate about making a difference in their communities.

Price received her first Live Más Scholarship award in March 2020, during a get-together on Zoom. “It was right after the world shut down for COVID. I found out I won $10,000, I was screaming,” she remembered. “Then in the next couple of months, I started applying to colleges.”

Price opted to stay in-state instead of traveling too far away from her hometown of Athens, Tenn., ultimately making her tuition much more affordable. After applying to “all the Tennessee schools,” she was accepted into the Honors College at ETSU, a specialty program for academically exceptional students, and began her first semester in August 2021.

“I was fortunate enough that the program I got into planned to pay my tuition,” she said, “but I still had excess funds that I needed to pay for.”

Price used the money she received from her honors program for tuition and room and board. Then, she divided the $10,000 from the Live Más Scholarship evenly between her first two semesters to be used for other essentials. “Basically, everything that my Honors College didn’t pay for, Taco Bell took over and paid for the rest, and I did receive a little bit of funds back into my account.”

She continued, “Whatever leftovers that I didn’t use specifically for that semester, ETSU refunded back to me, and I was able to use that money for books. My books for one semester my freshman year were $800,” Price explained.

Towards the end of her freshman year, Price received a notification from the Live Más program stating that she “depleted 75% or more of her scholarship” and asked if she wanted to renew for another year. “I didn’t even know that was something they did,” she added, and continued to submit all the necessary information along with another two-minute video.

For the renewal video, applicants were asked to share what they’ve done with the money and if they were still pursuing their dreams. “I went on a medical brigade to Ecuador and we provided free healthcare to people in Ecuador,” Price explained. “That was something that I threw in there, just showing that I was still making progress towards it.”

Price is currently double-majoring in biology and health science and double-minoring in global citizenship and American Sign Language. Her Live Más goal is to become a pediatrician and has dreams of opening up her clinic with a focus on communication accessibility.

“There’s no easy access to American Sign Language interpreters (in comparison to) other languages. There’s no Google Translate for American Sign Language,” she explained. “That’s my goal, to help close that communication barrier.”

Price continued applying for the Live Más Scholarship renewals for all four years of college and will be leaving ETSU with a Bachelor’s Degree, without crippling student loan debt.

“I just want to spread awareness for students to apply,” she said. “If the money’s there, take it.”

The Live Más Scholarship is open to the general public, though Taco Bell employees are submitted through a small pool of applicants, giving them a higher chance of success.

“We’re inspired by this video and are so proud of what Live Más Scholars are accomplishing,” shared the Taco Bell Foundation spokesperson. “The Live Más Scholarship is more than a check — it’s about mentorship, resources, and a community that believes in you. And it’s open to all students with a passion and a vision for their future.”

Price echoed this sentiment, adding, “They ask you your GPA, but they just want to see that you actually have a passion for what your dream is. They just want to make sure that there’s something in life that you have a drive for and that you go for it.”

The application window typically opens in the fall and closes in January each year, with winners being announced in the spring. For those interested, applicants can learn more at tacobellfoundation.org.