The Latino Alumni Society of the Arkansas Alumni Association has been awarded a grant from the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, a division of the Mexican Foreign Ministry, for scholarships to attend the University of Arkansas. The grant was awarded in a ceremony held during the Latino Alumni Society's Méritos Latinos awards and student recognition event. 

Mexico's IME Becas program, which is in its 15th year, convened a local committee in Little Rock to review submissions from all colleges and universities under the Consulate of Mexico in Little Rock's jurisdiction. The jurisdiction includes Arkansas, Western Tennessee and Eastern Oklahoma. The IME Becas grant to the LAS is the first such award for an organization affiliated with the University of Arkansas.

Presenting the award to the Latino Alumni Society was the Honorable Cónsul Rodolfo Quilantán Arenas, the Mexican government's representative in Arkansas. Articulating the significance of this grant, Cónsul Quilantán said "This award demonstrates my country's commitment to the empowerment of all Mexicans and Mexican Americans wherever they are and in whatever environment they live. What better way to empower them than through supporting their education?"

Xavier Medina Vidal, the Diane D. Blair Professor of Latino Studies and assistant professor of political science, is the Latino Alumni Society Board's vice president. Of the consulate's relationship to the Latino community, Medina Vidal said, "Cónsul Quilantán's leadership at the consulate in Little Rock reflects the values of the Latino Alumni Society by celebrating our culture and bringing security, peace of mind, and pride to our community."

To highlight the significance of the IME Becas grant for the U of A, Medina Vidal added: "In fall 2017, 8.1 percent of the University of Arkansas student body identified as Latino, yet in Northwest Arkansas, Latinos are about 17 percent of the population. LAS has provided scholarships to many Latinos to ease the financial stress of attending college, and we are pleased to be working together with the consulate through the IME Becas program so that more Mexican-origin students can access the U of A."

The Latino Alumni Society and its scholarship partners will work over the summer to award the scholarship funds to returning U of A students to help cover their tuition for the 2018-19 academic year. In addition to the financial support, IME Becas students will be matched with one of the several university staff and Latino and Latin American Studies faculty members who have volunteered to be LAS-IME Becas mentors.