Summer is coming to an end, and school is back in session, which makes it perfect timing for one of Latin America’s most loved rock bands, Maná to announce their greatest contribution in the education arena. In partnership with Selva Negra Environmental Foundation and the Univision Foundation, the rock group behind classics like Oye Mi Amor, Me Vale and many more have started the Maná Scholarship program and will be giving up to 15 Latino students in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 35 a $10,000 scholarship.
According to the website, “These scholarships are intended to help applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to positive change in their communities; specifically, those who have chosen to help clean up or otherwise improve the environment around them.” Furthermore, “[the] scholarship is open to high school seniors or graduates and to current college undergraduates who are either U.S. citizens, legal residents of the U.S., or undocumented residents of the U.S., including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and applications will be received and reviewed from September 9th through October 23rd, 2019.”
Apart from a study-ready attitude, the only documents necessary for students to be eligible are: “current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Unofficial or online transcripts must display student name, school name, grades and credit hours for each course, and term in which each course was taken.”
Even though there are many scholarships available for Latino students, it’s rare for undocumented individuals to find these type of options and opportunities.
However, the Grammy Award-winning band who hails from Guadalajara, Mexico, was questioned by some of their fans as to why only students in the U.S. can benefit from the scholarship and not ones in Mexico. Their inquiries are a fair question to ask, and perhaps that will be next on their agenda.