Federally Funded Grants Focus on Higher Education for Hispanic Students
Albizu University’s Miami Campus, a leader in undergraduate and graduate psychology programs, has divided a $40,000 Title V PPOHA Fellowship grant among eight graduate students, awarding each of them $5,000 to apply to their studies and research.
A federally funded grant program, Title V of the 1965 Higher Education Act was added in 1998 and is designed to assist certain colleges and universities in the United States in improving the higher education of Hispanic students. Since 2009, Title V has been expanded to include funding for graduate programs of Hispanic-serving institutions.
The Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Program is authorized under Title V of the Higher Education Act, as amended. The program’s purposes are to expand postbaccalaureate opportunities for Hispanic students while improving their academic attainment and to expand postbaccalaureate academics offerings and enhance the program quality in higher education institutions that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students or helping large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students complete postsecondary degrees.
This is the first year that Albizu University will be awarding Title V PPOHA Fellowship grants to qualifying graduate students and will continue to do so once per year through 2024.
Recipients of the 2020 Title V PPOHA Fellowship grant are:
- Jessica Gonzalez from Hialeah, Fla., is a graduate student enrolled in the Master of Science in Psychology programs specializing in School Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy.
- Imani Hackshaw of Brooklyn, NY, is a graduate student pursuing an M.S. in Speech Language Pathology. Hackshaw resides in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and works as a speech language pathologist assistant for Miami-Dade Public Schools.
- Anthony Hernandez from Long Beach, Calif., is a graduate student pursuing a M.S. in Speech Language Pathology.
- Danet Martinez of San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. Martinez expects to graduate in 2021 and will start his practicum this Fall.
- Ana Mateo of Puerto Rico graduated from Albizu University as a Mental Health counselor and is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Human Services with a specialization in children and families.
- Chantal Mathurin of Miami is a graduate student pursuing an M.S. in Speech Language Pathology and expecting to finish her degree in the summer of 2021. Mathurin holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Central Florida. A first generation Haitian-American, Mathurin expects to own her private practice after graduating from Albizu University and specialize in Haitian Creole bilingual therapy.
- Morgan Murphy of Miami, a second year M.S. Speech Language Pathology student and President of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA), Albizu chapter.
- Jorge Perez of Cuba is a second year M.S. Speech Language Pathology student and licensed speech-language pathology assistant.
“We deeply believe in our graduate students’ potential, but unfortunately sometimes external factors such as the ability to afford tuition and research materials get in the way,” said Albizu University Title V PPOHA Project Director Dr. Diana Valle-Riestra. “Thankfully, Albizu offers fellowship grants such as the Title V PPOHA grants and other financial aid that allow students to focus on what’s important and graduate without having to worry about finances.”
