Fifty Hispanic high school seniors in the Wichita area will be awarded $67,000 in scholarships. The Kansas Hispanic Education & Development Foundation will present the awards at a recognition banquet in Wichita Wednesday night. KMUW’s Carla Eckels reports:
The students will receive scholarships ranging from $1,000 up to $5,000 to help them pursue their higher education goals. Irma Luna, administrative director for the Wichita-based foundation, says the awards are based on financial need, academic achievements and community involvement.
"We were created in 2007 by some members of the Wichita Hispanic Chamber," says Luna. "We started out by giving one scholarship, now we are up to 50 scholarships."
The funds come from corporations, educational institutions and private donors. Juan Sepuveda, PBS Senior Vice President of Station Services, will be the keynote speaker at the banquet.
“He’s a native of Topeka, Kansas. He led the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics in the Obama Administration and we felt he would be the perfect speaker to address our students,” says Luna.
The Wichita Hispanic Chamber is partnering with the organization and will also present community leader awards at the event.
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The recognition banquet will be held Wednesday, May 27 at the Double Tree Hotel Wichita. Registration begins at 5:30 pm. Dinner at 6:00 pm. For more information call (316) 265-6334 or whcc@wichitahispanicchamber.org.
