Four Coachella Valley High School Students Each Receive $20,000 College Grants

BNP Paribas Celebrates Commitment to Tennis and its Contribution to the Local Community

BNP Paribas, Europe’s leading financial institution and a global sponsor of tennis, today announces it has awarded the eighth annual BNP Paribas Open Scholarships to Jose Arreola, Kamila Cortes Ramirez, Miguel Gonzalez and Nevaeh Robles from the 2024 graduating class of Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, CA.

The scholarships are granted during the BNP Paribas Open and aim to support students' pursuit of higher education, providing them with the resources they need to achieve their goals. By investing in these young minds, BNP Paribas is not only fostering individual success but also contributing to the overall development of the Coachella Valley.

The scholarship recipients all exhibit exceptional academic accomplishments and a strong commitment to tennis. Each student receives the $20,000 college grant on Thursday, March 14 at a ceremony at their school and will be recognized during an on-court presentation on Stadium 1 at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, March 16.

Jean-Yves Fillion, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors for BNP Paribas USA, said, “Our clients trust us not only for our financial expertise but also for our unwavering commitment to social causes. At the core of our business model is a dedication to giving back to the communities in which we operate. Today, we take great pride in reaffirming our support to Coachella Valley High School students through scholarship opportunities. Congratulations to Jose, Kamila, Miguel and Nevaeh who have displayed remarkable dedication both on the court and in the classroom. You optimize the future of tennis and we are confident your drive and compassion will leave an indelible mark in the college arena.”

Peggy Michel, Assistant Tournament Director of the BNP Paribas Open, also added, “These scholarships serve as a compelling testament to the dedication of BNP Paribas in leveraging their partnership with the tournament to create a meaningful and positive influence across the Coachella Valley community. We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Jose, Kamila, Miguel and Nevaeh, the well-deserving recipients of these scholarships. We eagerly anticipate following their future accomplishments in the academic area and on the tennis court.”

Jose has challenged himself academically by enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP), Concurrent Enrollment, and Dual Enrollment courses, all while maintaining a 4.3 grade point average (GPA), receiving Gold Level Recognition for a 4.0 GPA or above. Jose has been a member of the Varsity tennis team since 2022 as a doubles player and has encouraged several other young men from Coachella Valley High School to join the team as well. Jose has participated in extracurricular organizations including Friday Night Live Club as President and Ambassador, Youth Organization Council as a member, and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). He was also awarded Riverside Friday Night Live Youth Ambassadors Outstanding Youth Advocate Award for demonstrating leadership throughout Riverside County.

Kamila has enrolled in AP and Honors courses and is an AVID student with a 3.8 GPA. As a member of the Varsity tennis team and Varsity track and field team, Kamila has represented the school at state and divisional competitions, winning the Girls Varsity Tennis Desert Valley League and the Girls Varsity Track and Field Desert Valley League. She has taken all she has learned from her athletic experiences and shared it with young people at Mountain Vista Elementary School volunteering as an athletic coach four times a week teaching tennis, track, volleyball, and softball. In addition, she volunteered as a ball kid at the BNP Paribas Open and volunteers as a teacher at the Christ Gospel Long Beach Children’s Ministry. Kamila was recognized as a High Achiever and was awarded for her academic achievement.

Miguel currently has a 3.6 GPA and is taking several AP and Honors courses. He is also a Certificate of Honor award winner as part of the Above and Beyond Art Internship program where he took ten classes focusing on digital media and design, then he used those skills to support a local business. Miguel has used his media experience for videography with the organization Raices and the Coachella Program where he participated in a three-month program to produce an installation for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Since 2022, Miguel has been a member of the Varsity tennis team. He has also been involved in various community service initiatives including Friday Night Live, Youth Organization Council Alianza, and Coachella Unincorporated. Miguel was elected Associate Student Body President and Junior Class President.

Nevaeh is an AP and Honors student taking Dual Enrollment courses and maintains a 3.6 GPA. Nevaeh is an accomplished tennis player and member of the Varsity tennis team. She was recognized as the Most Valuable Player and for the 2023 season she played as Number One Singles player and was undefeated, winning the Desert Valley League. In previous seasons, Nevaeh was tennis Team Captain and played as Number One Doubles player. She is also a Snare player in the Marching Band performing at parades, events, and concerts. Nevaeh is active in her community. As part of S.O.S.A. Club she fundraised for social, cultural, and educational trips to enhance personal enrichment and is a senior representative for the Health Academy, completing 225 community services hours around health-focused initiatives.

About the BNP Paribas Open

The BNP Paribas Open is the largest combined ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tennis event in the world, and one of the premier fixtures on tour having been named Tournament of the Year by both the WTA and the ATP Tour for a record-setting nine consecutive years. The 2024 BNP Paribas Open will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 3 – 17, 2024.

BNP Paribas Championing Tomorrow’s Tennis for 50 years

For over 50 years, our history and actions have demonstrated how tennis has the capacity to mobilize people beyond the sport and have a social impact, especially for younger generations. We believe that tennis is bigger when it is inclusive and focused on youth. That is why, on the 50^th anniversary of our loyalty to the sport and commitment to its social impact since inception, we highlighted how tennis has the power to inspire players and fans for the good of society and its youth.

About BNP Paribas and tennis

BNP Paribas is a major partner of world tennis, with a historic commitment that began in 1973 and applies to all levels of tennis around the world – singles, wheelchair tennis, team and family tennis – from beginners to the biggest professional tournaments.

• Professional tennis: Official sponsor of the French Open since 1973, Sponsor of three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome), the Open 13 Provence (Marseille), the Open Parc de Lyon, the Moselle Open in Metz, the Queens Championships, and the BNP Paribas Nordic Open.
• Wheelchair tennis: title partner of the BNP Paribas World Team Cup; partner of the French Riviera Open, the WJP Challenge Tennis and the Swiss Open Geneva;
• Junior and University tennis: partner of the French Federation of University Sport and the BNP Paribas Master’U since 1993;
• Amateur tennis: Sponsor of the BNP Paribas Family Trophy and partner of more than 1,000 amateur tournaments supported by the bank around the world;
• Support for younger generations: BNP Paribas supports more than 160 young tennis and wheelchair tennis hopefuls in building their careers through its “Team BNP Paribas Jeunes Talents” programme in France (under the patronage of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in association with the FFT), the United States (with John and Patrick McEnroe), Belgium (under the patronage of Justine Henin) and Italy, Poland, Canada, Japan and Portugal. BNP Paribas has also been a partner in the selection of ball boys and girls at the French Open for more than 20 years.
• Solidarity-based tennis: a driver of social projects linked to tennis alongside more than 20 national tennis federations and dozens of charities, based on a conviction that tennis is an even better sport when it is collective and geared towards young people.
  • At the initiative of the “#FAAPointsForChange” programme in partnership with young Canadian hopeful Félix Auger-Aliassime and the solidarity programme “Points For Change” for the inclusion of young generations through sport
  • Partner since 2001 of Yannick Noah’s Fête le Mur association, of Sound of Tennis, which supports visually-impaired tennis players and City Parks charity in the United States, and many others around the world
• Sport in the workplace: The BNP Paribas internal tournament (We Are Tennis Cup) is one of the world’s leading corporate sporting events (3,500 participants each year).

Building on these partnerships and programmes, BNP Paribas promotes tennis internationally through its “We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas” platform. Since 2011, this web platform wearetennis.bnpparibas and its social media accounts have brought together a community of tennis fans and enthusiasts from all around the world to share the latest news on the ATP, WTA and ITF circuits. Finally, since 2015, BNP Paribas has enabled fans to live their passion for tennis like never before thanks to the We Are Tennis Fan Academy.

These various communications initiatives ensure that tennis is a fantastic vehicle for the brand image of BNP Paribas:

• In 2023, BNP Paribas was considered the leading sponsor of tennis in the minds of the French (31% spontaneous recognition, rising to 48% among tennis fans). Source: CSA/2023
• 58% of tennis fans believe that BNP Paribas’ partnership with tennis gives a better image of the brand (39% believe that it does not change the image). Source: CSA/2023
• 7/10 is the score given to BNP Paribas by those familiar with We Are Tennis (i.e. 73% of tennis fans). This is 1.2 points more than for all French people. Source: CSA/2023

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 65 countries and has nearly 185,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialized businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realize their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.

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