By Nayra Halajian
“It is imperative to not only recognize that minority/marginalized persons face unique obstacles throughout the college experience, but to also honor the resilience, grit and accomplishments along the journey,” Vivie Nguyen, Director of Intercultural Engagement, said.
The Center for Intercultural Engagement (CICE) recently advertised the University’s scholarships for currently enrolled undergraduate students. These scholarships include the Black Student Union One More, Latinos Unidos Leadership, LGBTQ Leadership and Spiritual and religious life scholarships and mentorships.
According to the University website, the amount of money awarded for race and sexuality scholarships is not fixed and depends on the number of people that apply. These scholarships are also more recent, starting within the last six years.
“The Black Student Union One More, Latinos Unidos Leadership and LGBTQ Leadership scholarships originated from student organizations and/or campus support systems to give recognition to and uplift students who hold these respective identities,” Nguyen wrote in an email to The Trail.
“These scholarships are avenues for minoritized communities on campus to give back to students who have lived out their identities through contributing to leadership, activism, and academia.” Spiritual and Religious Life scholarships have been offered for longer and are more specific in the money that they offer. The Religious Leadership Award is $3,000 and will be offered to students who demonstrate spiritual or religious leadership either on or off-campus.
The Interfaith Coordinator M$ entorship awards between $5000 and 8000 to several recipients that must commit to leadership through CICE for three to eight hours per week. The Cyrus Ames Wright Scholarship, a s$cholarship started in 1993, awards 2,500-$15,000 to students pursuing professional religious or spiritual leadership.
The last of the religious and spiritual life scholarships is the K. James Davis Chaplain’s Award for Spirituality and Social Justice. One award of $1,800 will be awarded to a student that has offered leadership that intersects spirituality and social justice.
“To me, the scholarships represent a community-based, as well as institutional, commitment to seeing students through who have a deep impact on the fabric of our campus,” Nguyen said.
Requirements to apply for these scholarships include an essay or essays of various lengths, depending on each scholarship. The application deadline for all scholarships is March 31.
“Do take the time to write your personal statements and answer the prompts as you would a class assignment,” Nguyen said. “We carefully take our time to read them as they are oftentimes the only materials we have to determine where the scholarship funds go. Thank you to The Trail for the exposure!”
“Just do it! There are so many scholarships available; chances are there is one that fits your identity and/or field of study. Please do not shy away fromapplying to more than one scholarship
that could be relevant to you,” Nguyen concluded.