By Megan Fitzgerald, PhD
“If it wasn’t for Latinos Salud, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going with my education journey,” Geovany Barrueta, junior in nursing program
Now in its fourth year, Latinos Salud’s Health and Support Services Pride Scholarships are providing more support to South Florida’s LGBT community than ever.
In its inaugural year, the South Florida community clinic awarded $12,500 in total. This year, eight recipients will receive scholarships totaling $48,000. The scholarships are also helping students from more institutions than ever before. This year, Latinos Salud awarded scholarships for the first time to students from Barry University and Florida Atlantic University. Other scholars are attending Broward College, Florida International University, and Miami Dade College.
“The Pride scholarship helps me a lot with my goals because for grad school, there isn’t much funding available to students.” Sandy Rodriguez Correa, PhD student in Marriage & Family Counseling.
The goal of the Pride Scholarships is to develop the next generation of culturally attuned scholars in professions that will serve South Florida’s LGBTQ community. Dr. Stephen Fallon, Latinos Salud’s Executive Director, explained that “Each of our scholars is a member of the LGBTQ community who is pursuing higher education in careers such as nursing, psychology, social work, public health, or other helping professions, and each intends to work in South Florida upon graduation.”
“Growing up as a gay black man in South Florida, I didn’t always have outlets to turn to, and I had to hold a lot of things in. After learning about Latinos Salud, I found a community that accepted me as I am. And that’s what motivated me to finish my degree in nursing so that one day I can be that outlet for the younger generation who need help. Matthew Leith, junior in nursing program.
Some are surprised to learn that Latinos Salud’s Pride scholarships are not only open to Latinos. Last year’s Pride scholars included an international student from Vietnam attending FIU, while this year’s scholars include an immigrant from Russia pursuing a master’s degree at FAU.
“When I was interviewed as a finalist, I was a little bit nervous, I will say because it is not common for me to speak about my identity and my life journey based on the country I am from (Russia). The staff made me feel comfortable, and I was able to speak about my life path. And when I found out that I was accepted for the scholarship, I was really excited and happy, and thought this a great honor and responsibility.” Alexander Mamikonyan, Master’s program in clinical mental health counseling.
Board member, Sam Angarita, described the impact the program makes, both on the students and on the selection committee. “Since we launched this scholarship program, our goal has been to invest in community-minded leaders from diverse backgrounds who embody our mission of improving health outcomes and the lives of our community, which is being hit hard by a lot of the issues of the day. It’s especially encouraging to see, year after year, so many applicants of diverse backgrounds who have transformed personal challenges into a genuine commitment to making life better for others.”
“Last year I was starting law school, so I still had some savings that I could rely on. … I’m incredibly happy and grateful that I was able to get it a second time. In total, Latinos Salud has awarded me $10,000 in scholarships for my education. That has made all the difference in the world, and I wouldn’t be able to continue school without their support.” Andy Ramirez, JD law program.
The Pride Scholarship program is entirely funded by Latinos Salud. No county, state, or federal funding is used for this program.
“Latinos Salud, for me, is a roadmap and a guideline to what it means to do people-centered business, to put people first, before profit and before politics.,” Kevin Davilla, Master’s in Psychology student.
This year’s lucky scholars made it through a rigorous selection process. Applicants submit an essay describing their academic journey, career goals and financial need. “Every year, I’m deeply moved by the stories our applicants share, and somehow the selection process becomes even more difficult,” said Board Chair, Dr. Franco Chevalier. “This year was no exception. We received a record number of applications, making it incredibly challenging to narrow the pool to those we would interview and, ultimately, select as scholarship recipients.”
“Latinos Salud really looks into what a scholar does and follows through with it because they care about what is being put out there in the community.” Anthony Membreno, MD student.
This year, Latinos Salud implemented a new “critical need” supplement for five of its scholars, adding an additional $1,000 to $2,500 to each award for those in greatest financial need.
“I was so happy when I got the scholarship, and I couldn’t believe that I got $1,000 extra to pay for my tuition. When I started college, I had two full-time jobs to cover my tuition. And now that I have been awarded with this scholarship for the third consecutive year, I have only one full-time job and that means a lot because I have time to focus on my career and have better results.” Carlos Silva, Master’s program in Architecture, with plans to continue to earn a JD in law.
