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Editor’s Note: Photo is available at http://www.uh.edu/admin/media/nr/2006/06june/
061306bamerica_cmas.html.
BANK OF AMERICA GIVES $75,000 TO UH’S
CENTER FOR MEXICAN AMERICAN STUDIES
Donation Provides Scholarships to Students Who Are First in Families
to Attend College
HOUSTON, June 15, 2006—Twenty students at the University
of Houston’s Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) will
graduate next year, thanks in part to a generous donation from Bank
of America. The bank donated $75,000 to the CMAS Academic Achievers
Program (AAP) to support scholarships, purchase books and pay tutors.
“This gift will allow these students, some the first in
their family to attend college, to look forward to their professional
lives,” Rebeca Trevino, program manager for AAP, said. “They
otherwise would not have the means to complete their education,
graduate and start careers.”
Recipients of the Bank of America scholarships were chosen based
on their grade point averages and need. All are seniors at UH. Bank
of America has been a long-time supporter of CMAS.
“Bank of America and the University of Houston share a common
vision of helping people achieve their dreams,” Rick Jaramillo,
Bank of America senior vice president said. “The Center for
Mexican American Studies makes that dream become reality.”
Last year, Bank of America donated a similar amount to assist 12
CMAS students.
The CMAS Academic Achievers Program provides up to $2,500 a year
for students who are the first in their families to attend college.
The program was created in 1994 as an effort to retain students
whose circumstances put them at risk for dropping out of school.
Each student must be enrolled full-time, attend mandatory study
hall hours, leadership workshops and seminars, and monthly counseling
meetings. Students must also sign a contract agreeing to abide by
the requirements of the program.
Tania Puentes still has a hard time believing that in one year she
will have a degree in accounting. The daughter of a single mother,
Tania is one of the first in her family to go to college. Her family
moved to the United States 11 years ago. She didn’t know how
to speak English and has had to work part-time to contribute to
the family income. She said being a Bank of America Scholar is allowing
her to spend her summers getting ahead in summer school on her way
to a spring graduation.
“Usually I have to work the summers, but with this scholarship
I’ll be able to go to summer school and graduate sooner,”
Puentes said. “Bank of America and the Academic Achievers
Program have been such a support to me and have really encouraged
me to pursue my dreams.” Puentes plans to attend graduate
school and work toward a master’s in the UH Professional Program
in Accounting.
A recent review of the graduation rate of participants in the
Academic Achievers Program found that Latino students who participate
in the mentoring program have a graduation rate nearly twice that
of UH Latino students who do not.
The findings come from a review of the 11-year-old program by
the UH Office of Institutional Research.
The study found that graduation rates of Academic Achievers who
started at UH from 1996 to 1999 ranged from 68 to 89 percent. Graduation
rates for other UH Latino students in that time period ranged from
33 percent to 41 percent.
The Center for Mexican American Studies program was recognized in
2005 with the prestigious Star Award given by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board. The honor recognizes programs that work to increase
minority participation in higher education. CMAS is a diverse spectrum
of programs that promotes preparation for college, student recruitment,
students’ transition from high school to college, financial
and academic support for undergraduate students and career counseling.
For more information on the UH’s CMAS program please visit
www.class.uh.edu/CMAS/
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan
research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research
centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with
corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse
research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education,
research and service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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