The National Education Association and Hispanic Press Foundation Launch Hispanic Scholarship Web Site

Lily Eskelsen, the secretary-treasurer of the National Education Association (NEA), joined Eddie Escobedo Sr., chairman of the National Hispanic Press Foundation, today to launch the newly created Hispanic Scholarship Directory web site (www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org).

The web site will make more than 1,000 sources of financial aid more easily accessible to Hispanic students around the country and world. The site includes application guidelines, an alumni section, and, most importantly, a database of scholarships fully searchable by a variety of categories, including state, college, and field of interest.

"A college degree is the ticket to a better life in this country," said NEA's Lily Eskelsen, one of the highest-ranking Hispanic educators in the nation. "We encourage all Latino students, their parents, teachers, and guidance counselors to log onto this website and make every effort to obtain a college education. Truly, the quality of your future will depend on it."

The website will extend the usefulness of the Hispanic Press Foundation directory, which is in its 5th edition. This exposure makes scholarship information for Hispanics readily available throughout the United States. In addition, the ease by which the electronic version can be updated should facilitate the listing of more scholarships and help identify more education financing for Hispanics. Moreover, many of the scholarships listed are available not only to U.S. citizens but to any student of Hispanic descent, regardless of nationality.

The project garnered support and praise from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "The foundation of every state is the education of its youth. For this reason, I firmly believe that education is the greatest need in our community," said Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, Senior Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee and Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Education Taskforce. "Partnerships like this will go a long way towards helping Hispanics student secure the educational resources they need and deserve. I commend the National Hispanic Press Foundation and the National Education Association for aggressively working to empower America's students with information that can make higher education a reality for every rising student," Hinojosa added.

"Like many Americans, most Hispanics don't know the full range of opportunities there are to secure education scholarships. The NEA's commitment to help us fashion the Hispanic Scholarship website creates greater opportunity for families to learn that a higher education is within their reach," said Escobedo. "Many parents do not have sufficient economic resources to provide a higher education… [and] many college age Latino children look for work opportunities to help their families."

According to Hispanic Link Weekly Report statistics show that the sons and daughters of recent immigrants are suffering significant educational challenges. Almost 30% of Latino students drop out of school at some point. Of those over 25 years of age, 11% of Hispanics have completed a university education, compared with 25% of non-Hispanic whites.The launch of the Hispanic Scholarship web site coincides with American Education Week, a special time set aside to recognize the value of public education.

Kirk Whisler, founder of the Latino Print Network, partner in the previous printed editions of the Directory commented, "Over the past five years the printed version of this directory has helped thousands of Hispanics with the goal of going to college. I'm confident that the online version will help many more."

Visit the new website at www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org. For further information on the National Hispanic Press Foundation or National Association of Hispanic Publications [NAHP], please visit their joint web site at www.nahponline.org. For more information on NEA, visit www.nea.org.

[ Back ]