We are extremely proud of our unique Scholarship Program that has been in existence since 1980. Since that time, $267,750 in scholarships have been awarded to 386 deserving high school seniors to help them with their post-secondary education.
At the beginning, scholarships of $50 were typical – that was what we could afford at the time. Now, thirty years later, thanks to generous donors and wise investments, we are fortunate to have been able to offer more substantial grants to our worthy scholars.
The Application Process
Every fall, Hispanic bilingual high school students complete an application form and write an essay. In addition, the school they attend provides a transcript of their work (over the years, most scholarship recipients were students at White Plains High School).
First each applicant’s submission is reviewed by staff to see if it has all the necessary information. If there is a question as to whether a student is bilingual, it is checked by a call – in Spanish – to the student. Then the work of the Scholarship Committee begins.
The Scholarship Committee Review
The Scholarship Committee, which is comprised of contributors, White Plains High School staff, as well as El Centro Hispano staff, reviews each student’s packet making sure the students under consideration all have a Grade Point Average of 3.0 or higher. They review the application form and read the essay written by the student. The essays and the student’s involvement in El Centro Hispano play an important role in determining how much money is allocated to each recipient. The beautifully written essays typically give the committee a birds-eye view of the student’s life, struggles, and success in overcoming any obstacles. After reviewing each of applicants’ packets, the committee makes a determination as to the amount of money each student will receive.
Recognizing the Awardees
The decisions of the Scholarship Committee are kept confidential until a special ceremony usually held in early June at White Plains High School when the scholarships are awarded. The students are also honored in front of their community at the end of the Sunday Spanish mass at St. Bernard’s Church. The students receive a certificate of commendation and congratulations from their parents and the hundreds of people in attendance at the mass.
Reciprocity
Previous scholarship recipients have “paid back” El Centro Hispano in many ways – by successfully completing their post-secondary education, by contributing to El Centro Hispano when they begin work after college and by serving on our Board of Directors (two of our current Board members are former recipients). We are extremely grateful to one of our recipients who donated all the architectural design work for the Technology Center out of gratitude to El Centro Hispano for the $50 scholarship he received many years ago.
Scholarship Program
El Centro Hispano, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
