Create college opportunities for Latino students

Thank you for your support of our community’s Latino students!

Your donations are having an impact, right now. This academic year, SLI is serving a total of 63 high school scholars in Harrisonburg, Richmond and Winchester, offering them rigorous academic challenge with university partners, leadership development opportunities, supportive mentorships, and college scholarship awards.

Your support is life changing. Among the 17 graduating SLI scholars this spring was Yamillet (John Handley High School, Winchester), who said:

With the college preparation and mentorship, SLI has helped me feel more confident in taking initiative on my own. The college assignments handed to us helped me achieve more in my regular classes by analyzing more thoroughly based on what I had learned from SLI. The community that SLI helps bring together among the Hispanic students, over all, inspires me to become an example for all first-generation immigrants that are in my position.

And SLI alum Rubi, a graduate of the University of Richmond who went on to work at an S&P 500 company, said:

My parents didn’t go to college, so they didn’t know the whole process of the applications, the essays, any of the pre-college tests, or anything. I relied a lot on my school teachers as well as school counselors, but also – and more than anything – SLI.

Yamillet’s and Rubi’s reflections show the importance of the personal interactions that take place during high school between SLI scholars and mentors, teachers and university staff and faculty. That time is well invested: In 2019, graduating SLI scholars were admitted to 15 colleges and universities, and offered support packages valued at nearly $960,000. 

Even these levels of funding, however, can leave gaps that students of need may struggle to fill. That’s where SLI supporters have direct impact by funding the largest portion of SLI’s budget: scholarship and computer awards, which in 2019 totaled $64,000. For the 2020 fiscal year, SLI has budgeted $70,000 for scholarships, computer awards and dual enrollment tuition assistance.  

SLI supporters contribute to SLI for many reasons, such as these (paraphrased):

• I was a first-generation college student, and a scholarship award made it possible for me to earn a degree. I want to support students just as I was supported.
• My business employs people who are Hispanic, and I want to support their community.
• The entire foundation board was impressed by your work. As we are located next to our local high school, we are of course interested in the students there, as well as others you help. 

SLI’s exciting and hope-filled work of creating college opportunities and providing scholarships for Latino scholars is possible only because of your generosity.

Thank you! 

Links:

• http://www.svsli.org