Latino Scholarship Day at the final Toledo Mud Hens home game of the season on Sunday, Sept. 14, will include pregame scholarship presentations to four Latino college students.
Four students of Latino descent received financial help in pursuit of the higher education: two $1,000 scholarships from the Spanish American Organization (SAO) and two additional awards from Lourdes University.
One of the SAO scholarship recipients is Selena Garcia, a junior at the University of Cincinnati majoring in marketing. The Oregon, Ohio resident carries a 3.4 GPA and has achieved the Dean’s List during three of four semesters of college so far.
“My personal and professional goals are rooted in representation and impact,” Garcia wrote in her application. “I aim to build a career in marketing where I can elevate underrepresented voices and tell stories that matter. Eventually, I hope to work with organizations focused on community outreach, cultural empowerment or education.”
Garcia revealed she once struggled with her Latino heritage and embracing her identity. She admitted she would even go so far as to wear long sleeves and avoid the sun to feel like she fit in with her peers. But as she grew older, she learned to celebrate her heritage as she increased her cultural awareness.
“Now I see my Mexican heritage as one of my greatest strengths,” she wrote. “I celebrate my roots proudly and work to empower others to do the same. I’ve grown into a leader who wants to uplift younger students and remind them that our culture is something to be proud of. As efforts around DEI begin to fade on college campuses, I am more committed than ever to being part of the solution—through advocacy, visibility, and action.”
The second scholarship recipient is Toledo native Emerson Castillo, now a sophomore at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The Central Catholic High School graduate carries a 3.4 GPA while majoring in pre-med and psychology with the goal of becoming a forensic psychiatrist upon graduation.
Castillo played lacrosse and volleyball while in high school but suffered two ACL tears as a student athlete. But she told the scholarship selection committee that those serious injuries taught her valuable lessons she has carried into her college academic success so far.
“I learned discipline and dedication. I also learned that it’s okay to fail, as long as you get back up and try again,” she wrote in her application. “Finally, I learned to never give up.”
Two Lourdes University students of Latino descent also will receive scholarships through the school. Jordy Rengifo-Poma and Mariah Shirey will receive ceremonial checks near home plate alongside the SAO recipients during pregame festivities.
Latino Day will begin with a parade outside Fifth Third Field at noon on Sept. 14. The game that day coincides with the start of Latino Heritage Month, which runs September 15 to October 15. The ballgame between the Mud Hens and Louisville Bats will follow the pregame scholarship presentations at 2:05 p.m. Latino Day tickets are $20 each and can be purchased here. Those game tickets also gain participants entrance to a 4 p.m. postgame concert at Hensville featuring Grupo Motivo.
