For Latino students at Penn, paying for college and college-related expenses may become a little easier thanks to the Association of Latino Alumni.
Last Friday night at La Casa Latina’s 10th anniversary celebration, ALA announced the creation of an emergency fund to help students in financial straits.
Although the grant is available to all Penn students, ALA wants to “help as many of the Latino students as we can,” said ’91 College and ’99 Graduate School of Education alumna Tatiana Olmedo, an ALA Board member.
According to ALA President Clemson Smith Muñiz, a former Daily Pennsylvanian sports editor, the emergency grant is similar to those offered by the James Brister Society and the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women. Both are open to all students, although TCPW gives special consideration to female students for its emergency grant.
Smith Muñiz and Maritza Santiago-Torres, La Casa office coordinator, generated the idea for an emergency grant jointly in 2006 after hearing students frequently express concerns about “money, health problems [and] financial aid,” Smith Muñiz said.
“I have been a part of multiple conversations with students about financial hardship, unforeseeable circumstances and the possibility of withdrawing from school if certain situations cannot be fixed,” said ALA board member Jasmine Perez.
Working over the years at La Casa, Santiago-Torres has encountered a number of students with difficulties concerning finances or adjusting to college. In some instances, she had to take money out of her own pocket to pay for a student’s expenses, such as prescription medications to treat illnesses, Santiago-Torres said.
Today, Santiago-Torres still helps students maneuver through resources like Counseling and Psychological Services and Student Financial Services, said College senior Sheyla Medina, as well as transition to Penn’s rigorous academic demands.
Medina herself was the recipient of an emergency grant provided by TCPW in 2007. Two years ago, Medina was hit by a car while crossing 38th Street. She called the grant “invaluable” in helping with medical expenses associated with the incident.
Financial considerations are also a major factor in graduation rates of Latino undergraduate students, Casellas said.
Smith Muñiz agreed, explaining that Latinos graduate at a lower rate than the general population as well as other minority groups.
As a result, he said, one of ALA’s goals is “ensuring every Latino student who gets into Penn has a fair chance of graduating.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the emergency fund had reached $10,000 thanks to Gil Casellas, who is a member of the University Board of Trustees, and two other ALA board members, according to Smith Muñiz.
