The Hector and Gloria López Foundation Awards $1M Grant Benefiting TAMIU First-Generation Latino Students

LAREDO,TX 4 April, 2023 --  The Hector and Gloria López Foundation (HGLF) announced a $1M grant to provide full tuition assistance for 15 first-generation Latino students at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) — creating pathways to educational attainment and a pipeline to a successful career.

Beginning in the Fall of 2023 and for the next five years, López Scholars will receive support for tuition and fees, as well as other resources including mentorship, tutoring, housing, study abroad programs, paid internships, leadership development, and more.

This investment is informed by the Texas 60x30 plan that calls for 60% of working-age Texans to receive a degree, certificate, or other postsecondary credential of value by 2030. To reach this goal, at least 285,000 Latino students must complete a degree or certificate each year.

In 2021, only 131,915 Latinos completed a degree or certificate and fewer than half of degrees awarded were Bachelor’s (52,011). To help close this gap, the Hector and Gloria López Foundation partners with colleges that are student-ready and dedicated to supporting Latino students in their dreams to obtain a four-year degree.

“It’s so important that young Latinos see themselves represented in academia, and can learn from individuals who have insight into their lived experiences,” said Sergio Rodríguez, Foundation CEO and nephew of Hector and Gloria López, “We’re proud to partner with TAMIU because of their 50-year history of serving Latino students and substantial Latino representation in faculty.”

Currently, 51% of faculty – and 83% of graduates – at TAMIU are Latino. A Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), the University employs comprehensive data analysis and infrastructure to support student populations that historically face more barriers. Through this new partnership, the López Scholars grant will solidify TAMIU as a place for first-generation Latino students to go to succeed.    

“This is much more than a grant,” said TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz, “this is a visionary investment in the future of our students and their communities. It will act as a catalyst for brighter futures for our graduates.  In turn, their careers will positively impact the communities they choose to call home. The University is honored to share the López Foundation’s partnership and vision -- and to further it by continuing to provide TAMIU students with the resources they deserve and need to succeed,” Dr. Arenaz said.

Hector and Gloria López left their estate to the Foundation – now Austin-based – in 2021. Their legacy is represented in the Foundation’s commitment to helping remove traditional barriers to resources and supporting the academic success of first-generation Latino college students in need of financial assistance across Texas.

Mauricio Rodríguez, a TAMIU senior and president of the Student Philanthropy Ambassadors offered a student perspective to the Foundation Board members.

"On behalf of all TAMIU students, I want to say thank you for seeing us, for believing in us, and for affirming that we all deserve a  chance to have a successful career… and to someday give back to the communities we call home," Rodríguez observed.

TAMIU vice president for Institutional Advancement Rosanne Palacios said grants like those provided by the Hector and Gloria López Foundation inspire and inform philanthropy. 

“We look at the impact this grant will have for our students and we are inspired…but we are also inspired by the example this provides -- a loving husband and wife who were determined to make sure that others might also have the opportunities and success that they enjoyed. It’s a motivating and powerful story of kindness for us all,” Palacios said.

Scholarship candidates do not have to submit an application or meet a minimum GPA or SAT/ACT score. To become a López Scholar, applicants must be Hispanic, demonstrate a financial need, be the first in their family to attend college, and have lived in or graduated from a high school in one of the five focus areas — El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, and communities in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.

 “The fact that they are admitted is enough for us,” said Rodríguez, “We don’t need to put up another barrier in order to provide support.” 

ABOUT THE HECTOR & GLORIA LÓPEZ FOUNDATION

The Hector and Gloria López Foundation provides post-secondary educational opportunities for Latino students in Texas, specifically students from El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, South Texas, and the Rio Grande Valley. Founded in 2021, the Foundation aims to reduce the financial and systemic barriers that students face on their journey to obtain a college or university degree. The Foundation also focuses on increasing Latino representation in faculty, administration, and in philanthropy.

For more information, visit www.hglopezfoundation.org  

ABOUT TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) is an international university, poised at the Gateway to Mexico and serving as the cultural and intellectual hub of a vibrant multilingual and multicultural community.

A Member of The Texas A&M University System, TAMIU provides over 8,400 students with a learning environment anchored by the highest quality programs built on a solid academic foundation in the arts and sciences. To fulfill its mission, the University offers a range of baccalaureate and masters programs, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in International Business and the Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice. Programs focus on developing undergraduate and graduate offerings with a progressive international agenda for global study and understanding across all disciplines.

For more, visit www.tamiu.edu