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K-State Today

Division of Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University
128 Dole Hall
1525 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-2535
vpcm@k-state.edu

February 2, 2024

Scholarship opportunity: Alianza and Benson scholarships for undergraduate students

Submitted by Marcos Mendez

Alianza Logo

Alianza, the K-State faculty and staff alliance for Hispanic/Latino affairs, invites applications for two scholarship awards for undergraduate students: the Professor Douglas K. Benson Scholarship for $500 and the Alianza Scholarship for $500.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to share this information with students. Only one application is needed for the two scholarships.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29. Eligible candidates are currently enrolled full-time students with a 2.5 GPA or higher. The scholarship recipient must attend K-State as an undergraduate student during the 2023-2024 academic year.

With this scholarship, Alianza honors Douglas Benson, late professor emeritus in the modern languages department, for his tireless advocacy on diversity issues at K-State and activism on behalf of Latino culture and heritage.

One of the scholarships is funded by a generous personal donation from Benson. The other one is funded by membership contributions of Alianza members and donations received from the National Day of Giving.

Required application materials include:

Proof of current enrollment at K-State and GPA. Documentation should be retrieved from your KSIS account and should include the student's full name.

A resume that includes personal contact information, including K-State email address; degree pursued, including major, minors, cumulative GPA and year in school; scholarships and awards received; activities; and work experience. Resume help is available at k-state.edu/ces/students/.

An essay of 250 to 500 words double spaced describing:

  1. The student's appreciation and/or involvement in Latinx culture in a global world — language, literature, cultural productions, including photographs, movies, drawings, etc.
  2. The student's educational goals.
  3. Statement of financial need.

Please submit your complete application via the Qualtrics link.

If you have any questions, please contact Marcos Mendez, mmendez@k-state.edu. By submitting this application, students allow us to verify their academic standing at Kansas State University. The recipients of both scholarships will be notified via email by Friday, March 29. Recipients will be invited to an Alianza end of the year celebration at 3 p.m. April 25 with location TBD.