Dr. Stanley T. Wearden, left, looks on as Dawn Ausborn, VP of Finances, signs a memorandum of understanding with the Consulate General of Mexico.

Consul General of Mexico Claudia Velasco Osorio visited Methodist University and – in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding ­– presented a $4,000 grant to the University’s administration.

The grant, called IME-Becas and presented on July 15, will supply at least one undergraduate student of Mexican origin with financial assistance at MU. Under the guidelines established for this grant, each award will be matched dollar for dollar with an MU Opportunity Scholarship.

“We are very grateful for this grant,” said Dr. Stanley Wearden, president at MU. “I’ve been involved in global education for years now. I believe one of the most powerful results of global education is empathy. It broadens the mind.”

Wearden said the grant will allow more students of Mexican origin to complete their education at Methodist University while sharing their culture with the whole campus.

“Our goal is to continue promoting and encouraging our students,” added Osorio. “We are happy to continue supporting Methodist University and to continue our work to show our community that we care.”

Methodist University enrolls more than 1,500 students a year, with 115 of those being international students from up to 54 countries around the world, including Mexico. This grant is not limited to citizens of Mexico, but also to those born in Mexico or whose parents were born in Mexico.

“Many students worry about how to pay for college,” said Minnu Paul, director of International Programs at MU. “Families who have not lived in the U.S. may not always have the knowledge about being eligible for federal grants or different types of scholarships. Such aid really helps families, especially if it is coming from their native government. The Mexican government wants more of its people to find jobs in the skilled workforce, and this grant will help aid in that.”

The application process is open until Aug. 30, 2021. To apply, students must be a Mexican Citizen/Mexican Undocumented in the U.S. or a first-generation Mexican American. Students should be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate program at MU, have a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher, demonstrate financial need through ISFAA or FAFSA and submit a statement of purpose of less than 400 words demonstrating a plan for meeting the expectations of the scholarship.

All applications and documents should be sent to Paul at mpaul@methodist.edu.

Students who receive the grant will be required to maintain a 2.5 grade-point average each semester they receive the scholarship. They will also need to write a thank you letter to the Consulate General of Mexico and will be encouraged to participate in at least one of the four components of the MU Journey – Leadership Development, Community Engagement, Global Education and Research and Creativity.

For more information about the IME-Becas or the Consulate General of Mexico in Raleigh, visit consulmex.sre.gob.mx/Raleigh.