Twelve students of Hispanic heritage from the University and Lane Community College received scholarships from Centro Latino Americano Friday at the organization’s inaugural Hispanic Heritage Night held at the Eugene Hilton hotel.
The CLA, an organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Latino community of Lane County, hosted an elaborate banquet in celebration of the students who received the scholarships. Over 200 guests attended and enjoyed activities, such as traditional Latino dancing and a live band.
The organization is directed by Marcela Mendoza@@name confirmed@@, an Argentine native who has been active in the Eugene community since 2005. The organization hopes to reach a different sector of the Latino population through this scholarship.
“We mostly serve families and individuals, and we usually serve the foreign-born. But with this scholarship, we get access to the second generation: American-born Latinos,” Mendoza said. “We are supporting the students that are going to be in Lane County for a while.”
While the exact amount of each scholarship remains undisclosed, each student felt proud to be a recipient. University junior communications major Maritza Santillan @@name confirmed on directory@@said there was stiff competition for the awards and that more students applied for the scholarship than the organization was expecting.
Mendoza pointed out that the money for the scholarships is donated, saying, “Families and community members donated the scholarships in memory of someone. They are in memory of someone or from anonymous donors.”
The scholarships are unique because they are offered to both undergraduate and graduate students of Hispanic descent. It was awarded to people from all backgrounds who are attending schools in Lane County and who are interested in a variety of fields. Ashley Sosa@@confirmed in directory@@, a University junior double majoring in environmental science and geography and minoring in geology, was among the recipients.
“I’m putting myself through college so it’s all out-of-pocket, so any money helps for me,” she said.
Her college experience has been an inspiration to the rest of her family.
”I’m a first-generation college student and come from a very traditional Mexican family that didn’t want me to go to college,” Sosa said. “My dad’s Cuban, and my mom’s Mexican. Neither of them wanted me to go out of state, so it’s a huge deal, but it turned out for the best. And now some of my other family members are going to college and going back to school.”
Thalia Guizar@@confirmed in directory@@, a University junior double majoring in ethnic studies and Spanish, has definite plans for her scholarship.
“I’m using it to help me buy my books, which I know doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a chunk that will help,” Guizar said. “They’re really expensive, and you need them, so that’s what it’s going to help me with.”
University junior business major Javier Mendoza@@name confirmed in directory@@ is also grateful for the scholarship.
“I work a lot, so this is gonna help me get by,” Mendoza said. “This way I won’t have to work so much so I can focus more on homework and such.”
The recipients enjoyed the banquet, saying it was an honor to be publicly recognized. According to them, the banquet made the scholarship more special because it was more memorable than a check in the mail. The CLA hopes to continue awarding scholarships in coming years.