UTEP Unveils New Scholarships in Partnership with State of Chihuahua
EL PASO, Texas (Feb. 15, 2024) - The University of Texas at El Paso is expanding its partnership with the State of Chihuahua, Mexico to benefit students in the Paso del Norte region. Today, the state’s Secretariat for Innovation and Economic Development and the Innovation and Competitiveness Institute of Chihuahua presented 15 new scholarships funded by the state government for students from Chihuahua who currently attend UTEP.
“Our ongoing collaboration with Chihuahua helps talented students pursue their educational goals at UTEP," said UTEP President Heather Wilson. "We are grateful for their support.”
The new merit-based scholarships consist of a $4,000 stipend for tuition. The awards are part of a new program called Graduate Scholarships in Smart Specialization Areas. Their aim is to provide financial support to select students from the State of Chihuahua who are currently enrolled in postgraduate studies in semiconductors, the aerospace industry and electrified transportation at UTEP.
More than 1,300 UTEP students commute daily from Ciudad Juárez, the largest city in the state of Chihuahua.
Ulises Fernández, the secretary for Innovation and Economic Development of the State of Chihuahua, and Raul Varela, director of the Institute for Innovation and Competitiveness of Chihuahua, joined Wilson and the scholarship recipients on the UTEP campus to present the awards.
“These scholarships are a testament to the shared vision of UTEP and the State Government of Chihuahua to invest in the future of the region,” Fernández said. “They will also ease the financial burden on students and, most importantly, contribute to the development of a highly skilled workforce on both sides of the border.”
This new program adds to an existing portfolio of scholarship and paid research opportunities funded wholly or partially by the State of Chihuahua, including a program that has been in place since 2002.
Tania Limon, a native of Ciudad Juárez and graduate student in manufacturing engineering, received one of the new scholarships. She said she appreciates the recognition from the leaders of her state for all the work she has put into her effort to obtain a degree from UTEP.
“Many of us spend a lot of time crossing the border. It’s always more challenging for us to come to school here instead of in our hometowns,” Limon said “We also face language and cultural barriers, but I see those as good challenges because they’ve allowed me to learn more about what I can achieve.”
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 172 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on February 15, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published February 15, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
