Juntos Podemos/Together We Can and the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) recently awarded a $5,000 IME-Becas grant to the Utah-based FUNDET Scholarship Program, which will help 10 to 15 Mexican students attending Salt Lake Community College.

During an event at the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City to announce grant awards for several institutions in Utah, Mexican Consul Eduardo Arnal said the money helps with the development and personal growth of Mexican students as well as the economic and social development of Mexican communities. Scholarship recipient Ciria Alvarez talked about how the funding helped her overcome “barriers” and “obstacles” as an undocumented student toward someday becoming a civil rights attorney.

"Juntos Podemos and IME Becas bring opportunity and hope to many of our Mexican students at SLCC,” said Enrique Soto, Hispanic marketing manager for SLCC Institutional Marketing and Communications. “These scholarships open the door to a higher education and give students a chance to carve out a better future for themselves and their families.” SLCC academic advisor Luz Gamarra said the grant is a “gift that keeps on giving.”

FUNDET is a Hispanic/multicultural scholarship program administered through a private foundation committed to assist Hispanic adults trying to earn a technical degree toward entering the workforce and becoming self sufficient. Students attending SLCC’s School of Applied Technology benefit from the FUNDET scholarships. The program is managed and directed by the FUNDET Student Leadership Council. Juntos Podemos engages Mexican business leaders and grassroots organizations to help immigrants with health care, education funding, citizenship support and other services.

Salt Lake Community College is an accredited, student-focused, comprehensive community college meeting the diverse needs of the Salt Lake community. Home to more than 60,000 students each year, the College is Utah’s leading provider of workforce development programs. SLCC is also the largest supplier of transfer students to Utah’s four-year institutions and a perennial Top 10 college nationally for total associate degrees awarded. The College is the sole provider of applied technology courses in the Salt Lake area, with multiple locations, an eCampus, and nearly 1,000 continuing education sites located throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Personal attention from an excellent faculty is paramount at the College, which maintains an average class size of 20.