Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, TX – In 2018, Texas Southmost College student, now alumnus, Zurisadai Cerón found himself struggling to pay for tuition and textbooks, but it was a scholarship from the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (IME) or in English, Institute for Mexicans Abroad, Becas (Scholarship) program that helped him finish strong.
“I don’t know if I would have been able to finish my associate degree in science without this scholarship,” said the 21-year-old. “Words cannot express how grateful and thankful I am to have received this financial assistance. Thanks to IME Becas, I was able to continue my education and pursue a bachelor’s degree.”
For students like Cerón, the tradition of helping students of Mexican origin continues thanks to an IME Becas program grant that was recently awarded to TSC by the Consulate of Mexico in Brownsville in the amount of $12,000. The presentation ceremony also included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
TSC will match the amount awarded by the IME Becas program bringing the overall total of the scholarships that will be available to $24,000.
IME Becas is a program implemented by the Mexican government to provide help to organizations that promote and focus on areas such as literacy, English as a second language, adult education, computer skills, job training and most notably institutions of higher education.
“The Hispanic community is a large community and sometimes they don’t have access to higher education because they don’t have access to financing, so we want to support them,” said General Consul Juan Carlos Cué Vega. “It is our partnership with TSC that helps make this possible.”
The long-standing partnership between TSC, the Consulate of Mexico in Brownsville and IME Becas has provided Mexican national or of Mexican origin students financial assistance in the form of scholarships for several years.
“Scholarships from community partners, such as this one, help make college more affordable for students by providing additional funding to cover tuition, books, or living expenses,” said TSC Board Chair Ruben Herrera. “This will help with the financial stress that students face when pursuing a higher education. And we thank the Consulate of Mexico, IME Becas and the Mexican government for giving our TSC students this grand opportunity.”
TSC alumna Ana Morales also received the IME Becas scholarship in 2018 and said for someone like her, from a low-income family, the financial assistance was a life saver and now she is glad that more students will get the help they need.
“This is a great opportunity that TSC and the IME Becas program is providing for its students and I’m glad to see it continue,” said the 26-year-old. “All students who qualify should take advantage of this because speaking from personal experience, it really is a big help.”
Students who are interested in applying for the IME Becas scholarship must submit a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) to the TSC Financial Aid Office. Scholarship recipients will be selected on a first-come, first served basis.
TSC President Jesus Roberto Rodriguez said this MOU and partnership between TSC, the Consulate of Mexico in Brownsville, IME Becas and the Mexican government is a reflection of the mutual interest of providing a quality education for all in the region.
“For 95 years, TSC has embraced and celebrated the rich culture and history of our binational region and it has been through the partnerships like the one between TSC and the Consulate of Mexico, that we have been able to move our community forward,” said Rodriguez. “This MOU serves as a symbol that our collaborative spirit will continue to serve generations to come. I thank our partners con todo mi corazón, with all of my heart, for supporting our community college.”
To learn more about the IME Becas scholarship, call TSC’s Financial Aid Office at 956-295-3261.
