FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Richmond, VA – March 2, 2010 – One deserving first-year student from George Mason University has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network (VALHEN) scholarship in the amount of $500.
The VALHEN Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the first recipient, Mirella Saldaña-Moreno. The award will be presented to Miss Saldaña-Moreno over a lunch during the 2010 Encuentro at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia on Friday, March 12.
Donations made to the scholarship fund were collected at a reception held last year at VALHEN’s 2009 Encuentro at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia May 1-2, 2009. Encuentro is VALHEN’s annual conference where members meet to discuss issues and share best practices for supporting Latinos in the Commonwealth.
“Selecting from sixty passionate, and talented applicants with significant financial need was not an easy feat though we are very pleased to launch this new statewide scholarship with a stellar and deserving recipient like Mirella,” said Sylvia Rosa-Casanova, scholarship committee member. Almost half of the applicants were high school seniors while the remaining applicants were first years, sophomores, or juniors at two and four year institutions across the state. More than half of the application pool hailed from Northern Virginia though many applications from Southwest Virginia, metro Richmond and the Tidewater region were received as well.
Mirella is a first year student at George Mason University, Fairfax campus, pursuing a career in education. She was born and raised in Lima, Peru and immigrated to Falls Church, Virginia at the age of 10 where she currently resides. “I have learned that passion, determination, perseverance and education are essential to accomplish goals. Now, I try to instill these values among young Hispanics who may face obstacles as they try to achieve higher education,” explained Mirella. Miss Saldaña-Moreno aspires to be a classroom teacher and one day a school principal so she can encourage learning and empowerment for youth of all ages and backgrounds.
Individuals or businesses interested in sponsoring a VALHEN Scholarship or donating to the scholarship fund can contact Scholarship Committee Chair, Judy Mejia at jmejia@richmond.edu. Scholarship applications and 2010 Encuentro information can be found online at www.valhen.org.
Contact:
Judy Mejia
Scholarship Committee Chair
University of Richmond
28 Westhampton Way
Richmond, VA 23173
Phone: 804-955-4006
http://www.valhen.org
info@valhen.org