MALDEF Scholarships
The goal of MALDEF scholarships for Latino students is to continue with their dedication to promoting civil rights for the Latino population. If you aren’t familiar with MALDEF, it stands for Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The foundation started in 1968 and continues to be a very good resource today, especially with their MALDEF scholarship programs for minority students.
Law School Scholarship Fund
MALDEF offers Latino scholarships for law school. Annually, they offer 5 to 10 scholarships for law. The amount of each award is $5,000. All applicants must be enrolled full-time in an accredited law school program.
Each applicant is evaluated based on their academic accomplishments and their community involvement. Their background, financial need, and how they have promoted civil rights in the Latino community as well as their determination to do so through their career. All applications are due by January 2nd annually. Winners will be notified of their award at the end of June so that the funds can be allocated for the following fall semester.
MALDEF DREAM Act Student Activist Scholarship Program
This is a Latino scholarship for college students that are active in promoting the DREAM immigration rights. This is a new MALDEF scholarship program that was just started for the 2012 – 2013 year. Winners can get a scholarship of $5,000 to use at an accredited college. The Latino scholarship for minority students is available for undergraduates and for graduate students. Applications are due by July 2nd of 2012 and winners will be notified by fall term. There can be up to 10 winners of this scholarship fund.
Applicants must show financial need and also submit an essay about what they are doing to promote the DREAM Act. They also have to explain how their future career plans incorporate promoting that particular act. If you aren’t familiar with the DREAM Act, it stands for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors.
This program is designed to help illegal aliens to be able to legally obtain citizenship in the United States based on their moral character and the fact that they have done well in high school and wish to pursue further education in an accredited college program. They can also opt to complete two years in the United States military prior to enrolling in college.
While the act was implemented in 2001, it has been faced with red tape since then. In 2012, the Obama Administration stated that they would stop deporting youth that fit the definition of the DREAM Act. Anyone that wishes to promote this good cause will have a challenge in front of them, but one that could be worth of a MALDEF scholarship.
MALDEF Scholarship Resource Guide
One of the most comprehensive resource guides you will find for scholarship information is offered on the MALDEF website. While most of them aren’t directly offered by the organization, they can get you pointed in the right direction. Then you aren’t investing so much time doing leg work to find Latino law scholarships you may qualify for in this particular field of study.
This is a resource that is divided into minority scholarships for high school students, first year college students, undergraduates, and for graduate students. Do yourself a favor and check it out as you don’t want to miss the opportunity to secure some of these funds for your college education. All of the information including a website link, name of the organization, application deadlines, and award amounts are offered in this complete resource guide.
It is also updated frequently so you don’t have to worry about the MALDEF for Latino students offered not being for real or not still being available. It is just one more way that MALDEF is dedicated to helping students to complete their education so that they can help with further promoting civil rights.
You will find there is a smaller pool of applicants for MALDEF scholarships than for many of the others out there. As a result, you can significantly increase your chances of being able to win one of them. Now that you have the information, the ball is in your court to pursue it!