Written by Aliana Zamorano/Contributing Writer
Student Government Association Presidents Alexis Calatayud and Allhan Mejia have raised $120,000 in scholarship funds for full-time students.
The scholarships are offered for the spring and summer 2016 terms. The awards are available under 10 different categories, each with different eligibility requirements.
Deadline for open applications is Friday, Oct. 9.
Each scholarship consists of amounts between $500 and $1,000, with multiple winners per scholarship.
Roughly 30 students will be awarded the SGA Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Scholarship and 24 will be awarded the SGA Excellence Scholarship. They are mostly based on campus involvement and volunteer experiences.
The scholarships include awards for graduate, undergraduate, medical and law school students.
SGA scholarship money was first distributed under former 2013 SGA Presidents Pablo Haspel and Laura Farinas. They are funded by the interest made off of the Activity and Service Fee paid by FIU students in tuition costs.
General eligibility requirements include being a full-time student, a 3.0 grade point average, a letter of recommendation, good judicial standing at the university and payment of the Activity and Service Fee.
“It’s a way to take the money made and give it back to the students through merit and awards,” said Matilde Gramling, executive director of Student Affairs. “It is a way to help current students like sophomores, juniors and seniors continue with their education.”
“What sets the SGA scholarships apart from other university-wide scholarships, as well as Florida Prepaid and Bright Futures, is that SGA scholarships are also distributed for the summer term,” Gramling said.
“This year’s winners have the option to push the scholarship into the fall semester, only if they have a viable reason why they couldn’t take classes in the summer,” she said. “If they have to do an internship or if the classes they needed were not available, there are options now to settle the issue.”
Along with the summer exception, other changes have been made to the scholarship.
“This year, we have the SGA Fostering Panther Pride Scholarship,” said Michelle Castro, Campus Life assistant director at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. “There’s also new revisions to the Single-Parent and Veteran Scholarships.”
FIU student Nicholas Begliomini said he has worked many hours to pay for his tuition during his time at the University. As a senior, he wishes he would have known about the scholarships from the start of his freshman year.
“The SGA scholarships sound like they would’ve helped me,” said Begliomini, a chemistry major. “I’ve had to work so hard to not be in debt that I wasn’t able to join any extracurriculars. I think winning one of the scholarships could have helped me through my last few years here.”
According to Castro, applications opened on Sept. 14. Students can apply online at fiu.academicworks.com.
“A team of FIU affiliates put together by the FIU scholarship office will review all applications and chose the winners,” she said. Recipients will be notified by the Office of Scholarships and Fellowships.
“We really want students to look into the scholarships and apply before Oct. 9,” said Gramling. “There’s something for everyone.”
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