Hispanic Scholarship Fund applications
now available for 2002-2003 academic year

The South Texas 2002-2003 Hispanic Scholarship Fund applications are now available through the financial aid offices of Texas A&M International University and Laredo Community College, high school counselors, Co-STEP, and participating Laredo businesses, including L&F Distributors, LareDOS, The Laredo Morning Times, UETA, IBC, Leyendecker Construction, Guerra Communications, and Lamar Outdoor Advertising. The scholarship is available for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a degree-seeking program at an accredited U.S. college or university.
The application deadline is September 16, 2002. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident, be of Hispanic heritage, and have 12 hours of college credit to be eligible.
The three-page application is simple to complete and must be accompanied by transcripts for all college coursework. Those transcripts need to include a cumulative GPA. The completed application must include a current letter of recommendation on college letterhead from a professor or advisor, as well as a two-page personal statement. Financial aid information must also be included. As indicated on the applications, completed packets should be sent to:
HSF/South Texas Program
L&F Distributors
3900 N. McColl Road
McAllen, TX 78501
Award notifications will be issued by mid-January 2003. For the 2001-2002 application year, HSF made awards totaling $1.5 million to 573 students in 19 South Texas counties. Awards for the 2002-2003 year range in size from $1,000 to $2,500.
Successful candidates are chosen on the basis of academic achievement, personal strengths, leadership, and financial need. The selection of HSF scholars is assisted by the efforts of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and by regional readers. HSF scholars have achieved success in many fields and often are visible role models in their communities.
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the largest Hispanic scholarship-granting organization in the nation. HSF recognizes and rewards outstanding Hispanic students in higher education throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These students represent every region of the country, hundreds of institutions of higher learning, and every segment of the Hispanic community. Founded in 1975, HSF has awarded nearly 54,000 scholarships totaling more than $89 million.
The 2000 United States Census shows that the number of Hispanics skyrocketed by roughly 57.9% over the last decade, from 22.3 million in 1990 to 35.3 million in 2000. The new figures far surpassed the predicted growth and propelled Hispanics as the nation's largest minority group. This demographic shift has broad implications for politics and culture at the beginning of the new millennium. As the Hispanic population continues to dramatically increase, education remains a key issue. Although numerous Hispanics are achieving educational excellence, reports from the U.S. Census Bureau reveal a startling discrepancy in the educational attainment of Hispanics compared to other groups. Thus in 1996, HSF adopted a new mission: to double the rate of Hispanics earning a college degree to18% by the year 2010.
Applications can also be downloaded at www.hsf.net.