Texas Border Business
A strong foundation for collaboration between South Texas College (STC) and the Consulate of Mexico in McAllen (Mexican Consulate) was established on Monday, December 14, during a ceremony when a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed with an objective of increasing the educational level of Mexicans or persons of Mexican origin living in the United States.
During the ceremony at the Mexican Consulate’s office in McAllen, STC was awarded a $5,481 matching scholarship grant from resources provided by the Government of the United Mexican States through the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME-Becas) Fellowship Program. As established in the MOU, STC and the Mexican Consulate will agree every year to the amount of resources required for the granting of scholarships, considering the fiscal calendar of each institution.
“We plan on utilizing this scholarship grant to help adults who did not finish high school get on the path to college,” said Dr. Shirley A. Reed, president of STC. “Students can start at STC, earn their associate degree and join the workforce with quality careers. For those who wish to continue their higher education, transferring to UTRGV is a smart option. We think this will help many families in our region.”
This is the second consecutive year STC has been awarded this matching scholarship grant through the IME-Becas Program with $15,000 awarded last year. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was also awarded the $5,481 matching scholarship grant and signed a MOU with the Mexican Consulate.
“What is new about our scholarship grant this year is the creation of a track that will make it possible to serve students who do not have their high school equivalency or GED,” explained Juan Carlos Aguirre, associate dean of Continuing, Professional and Workforce Education at STC. “By creating a bridge program, STC can utilize these funds to serve those who need that extra help to start their college career.”
The Mexican government established the IME-Becas Program in 2005. Since then, more than 44,000 students have benefited from the program nationwide.
For more information regarding the IME-Becas scholarship, please contact STC’s Scholarship Department in the Office of Student Financial Services at 956-872-2108.
