Hispanic Student Group Wins Award in First Year of Activities

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholars Chapter, a registered student organization that began operations last fall, received the gold award as the 2013-2014 best new chapter by its parent organization, the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund. The award comes with a $500 grant to help fund events through November, 2013.

“We are very excited and proud to have received this honor,” said Alfonso Puente, president of the group. “We have not determined how we will use these funds, but we have many activities we are planning for next fall, and this will be a big help with our expenses.”

The U of A chapter is one of 37 started up on campuses around the country as part of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar Chapter Network. The purpose of the clubs is to help Latino students deal with their transition to college and to help them feel more a part of their college community. The chapters promote academic success and student engagement by encouraging Latino students to serve as role models and leaders in their communities. Each chapter has a student coordinator trained by HSF who receives guidance on curriculum and programming to assist Latino students on their campus succeed.

The U of A chapter was organized in August, 2012, and hosted a variety of events aimed at enriching students’ academic experience, but members also took part in recruitment events at local high schools and organized a blood drive at the university.