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Boulder’s Moncerrat Dominguez, an architecture major who will be a junior at the University of Colorado Denver in the fall, recently received her third scholarship from the Boulder County Latina League.
“I love school,” she said. “I really love working with math and drawing and being creative.”
She said she’s found not just help in paying for college, but also a supporting community through the Latina League. As a first generation college student who commutes to Denver, she said, a support system is important. Her advice to other students: “Go with your passions and look for your people, look for your community.”
The Latina League is in its 26th year of granting scholarships to Boulder County students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college.
The nonprofit, volunteer organization was started in 1999 by professional Latina women who saw a need for scholarships for college-bound and low-income Latino students. Since the league was founded, it has awarded almost $1 million in scholarships, between $300 and $2,000 each. The University of Colorado and Front Range Community College also match the scholarship funds for students attending those schools.
This year, the organization gave out 83 scholarships, with 30 going to graduating high school students and the rest to to students already in college, for a total of $110,750. The students were recognized at a bilingual ceremony last week.
Leticia de Lozano, the scholarship committee chairperson and a retired Boulder High teacher, said she got involved because Latino students, especially immigrants, didn’t understand the ins and outs of college, including applying for financial aid and finding scholarships.
To save money, she said, most of the recipients live at home and commute. The scholarships are available for students attending in-state colleges, including community college. Many students start at a community college and then transfer to a four-year program, she said.
“We help them a lot,” she said. “They know they have all of this support from people who believe in education. It’s a way to keep pushing the students.”
Newly minted Boulder High graduate Yaretzy Santos will get a little extra help in covering her tuition at the University of Colorado Boulder in the fall through a Latina League scholarship. Her goal is to become an early childhood or elementary school teacher.
“I always knew I wanted to go to college because I enjoy learning,” she said. “I had mentors at Boulder High who really helped connect me with different scholarships. Becoming a teacher is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Along with helping with finances, she said, she likes that the Latina League holds a ceremony each year for the scholarship recipients that includes families, teachers and donors.
“It really makes you feel like a community and that people are there to support you and are rooting for you,” she said.
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