A total of $85,000 in Mexican government scholarships were awarded to different local educational institutions in San Diego during a ceremony held on November 15 at the Mexican Consulate in San Diego.
Mexico’s government established the IME-BECAS scholarship program in 2005 in order to aid Mexicans looking to further their education abroad.
“Since 2005, San Diego has received almost $600,000 to help the community and approximately 1,500 students have been recipients,” said Marcela Celorio, Consul General of the Mexican Consulate in San Diego. “We have a committee that works independently from the consulate, they are experts in the education sector and they decide which organizations are going to receive the funds and the impact the funds are going to have in the community.”
Rosalia Salinas, Education Promoter and Former Director of the Bilingual Education Program in the San Diego County Office of Education; Enrique Gonzalez, Strategic Partnerships Consultant of the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE); Miguel Velasquez, Executive Director of the California Foundation Fund; Arnulfo Manriquez, President of the Mexican American Advisory Committee (MAAC) Project; and Antonio Barbosa, Vice-president of Community Relations of Wells Fargo Bank, were part of the Selection Committee of IME-BECAS 2016-2017.
In San Diego, IME-BECAS entries were received from June 10, 2016 to September 1, 2016, and there were a total of 10 entries, 4 for adult education, and 6 for college education.
The institutions and organizations selected to receive this year’s IME-BECAS were the following: Barrio Logan College Institute, Parent Institute for Quality Education, High Tech High Foundation DBA High Tech High North County, Southwestern Community College District, and the University of California San Diego.
The ceremony included the presence of the institutions and organizations awarded, members of the Selection Committee, and some of the IME-BECAS recipients.
“In 2015, a program was established for adults who didn’t finish school in our country but wanted to continue their education. I got my elementary and junior high degree, and right now I’m studying high school through UNAM. I am also studying English as a second language and taking sewing classes,” said Eloisa Gutierrez, mother of three and one of the IME-BECAS recipients. “I was one of the recipients of the first IME-BECA awarded to the Plaza Comunitaria program in Barrio Logan last year. With that money, I was able to pay my document delivery, my admission fee, and my Internet fee, now I’m saving to buy a computer and headphones so I can continue to study at home.”
The student mentioned the classes are challenging for her but that she enjoys studying at the same time as her daughters.