Congratulations to the GCSA's first scholarship recipients, Mayra Jaimes and Rachel Hochstetler!

Rachel Hochstetler

Valley Center, California

Rachel comes to the Hilltop from Valley Center, California where she graduated at the top of her high school class. As a member of her local 4-H Club, Rachel founded a community service group dedicated to teaching English as a second language to migrant adult workers. “I recruited teen volunteers, planned curriculum and taught in Spanish… [we] needed texts and there was no money to buy them. I wrote a grant proposal and was awarded two state grants…to buy books for the classes.” Like in her hometown community, Rachel continues to give back to her new Georgetown community. At Georgetown, Rachel is involved in YLEAD (Young Leaders Educating About Diversity), the ASK (After School Kids) program, and Best Buddies, where she volunteers as a tutor for individuals with Down’s syndrome.

Mayra Jaimes

Chicago, Illinois

Mayra comes to Georgetown from the Southside of Chicago. While in high school, Mayra was highly involved in various leadership activities. Mayra has extensive experience in the professional world, having worked for the law firm Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, the CNA Insurance Company and Mesirow Financial, all in Chicago. Mayra is in the School of Nursing and Health Studies and intends to major in nursing. Although Mayra hasn’t even finished her first semester, she is already looking to give back after she graduates from Georgetown: “I plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing… As a nurse, I want to dedicate my time to a clinic that works to heal Latino immigrant women affected by trauma...domestic violence, economic instability, sexual assault, and emotional instability…”

Drumroll Please... And the Fall 2009 Scholarship Recipients Are...

The Georgetown Comunidad Scholarship Association is proud to announce the recipients of the fall 2009 Comunidad Scholarship are Mayra Jaimes of Chicago, Illinois and Rachel Hochstetler of Valley Center, California! Both are members of Georgetown University’s Class of 2013. Bios and pictures of our first scholarship recipients will be posted soon.

We would like to thank the many applicants who submitted applications for the inaugural scholarship. This was an impressive group of candidates. We would also like to take a moment to thank the volunteer alumni who reviewed the submitted scholarship applications and conducted interviews with the finalists. The following are the members of the GCSA Scholarship Selection Committee:

Joseph Saucedo, 2000

Juan Venegas, 2001

Jennifer Hernandez, 2002

Christian Lozano, 2003

JR Ramirez, 2004

Vicente Garcia, 2005

Octavio Gonzalez, 2006

Tanya Olmos, 2007

Jason Resendez, 2008

To these alumni, thank you for your contribution, your time and your commitment to the Georgetown comunidad! A special word of thanks goes to Irma Perez and the GCSA Board for organizing the fall 2009 application materials and for organizing the logistics of selecting, interviewing and notifying scholarship recipients. Finally, thank you to all the donors that have made this initiative possible. ¡GRACIAS!

I almost forgot that I could actually slow down and enjoy this part - reading scholarship applications!

With all the planning that went into this scholarship initiative, I almost forgot that I could actually slow down and enjoy this part - reading scholarship applications. As expected, all applicants come to us with rich experiences and a hunger for education. It's going to be difficult for the Selection Committee to make its decision, however it's important that GCSA has made it to this point. Alumni are giving back and current freshmen Hoyas have a scholarship opportunity that was unexpected, but nonetheless welcome. The scholarship is GCSA's ultimate product, so I have to send out a special ¡gracias! to the members of the Selection Committee making it possible. They've all been generous with their time and are integral to the pioneering of this effort.

Irma Perez (COL '04)
Selection Commitee Chair

The Georgetown Comunidad Scholarship Association is growing!

We are pleased to announce that we will be awarding two scholarships during the fall 2009 semester and two during the spring 2010 semester! We will be announcing the recipients of the fall 2009 scholarship on October 19 and the GCSA will be accepting applications again from the Georgetown University Class of 2013 this coming spring semester! Undergraduates: Stay tuned for more information on where/when you can obtain scholarship application materials!

I’d like to take a moment to thank the many alumni (and friends of alumni!) who have made contributions to get this initiative off the ground! The show of support has been tremendous and there have been many alumni who have contacted us offering to help perpetuate this initiative. A great big ¡GRACIAS! to all alumni who have contributed and support this initiative!

Scholarship Materials Are Being Reviewed...

Earlier this week was the application deadline for the inaugural GCSA scholarship. We’ve received several applications from the Georgetown Class of 2013 and a committee of volunteer alumni has already begun to review the submitted materials. The GCSA will be announcing the recipients of the inaugural GCSA scholarship on Monday, October 19, so stay tuned!