UM-Flint Students Selected for Special Scholarships

Four University of Michigan -Flint students have been selected to each receive a $1,000 scholarship as part of an effort to promote higher education within the Hispanic Community.

Bettina Barillas is in the honors program pursuing a degree in marketing. She received her Associates degree at Mott in 2009 and received numerous scholarships, namely, the honors program scholarship, Michigan Competitive, Promise, Flint Rotary and Chester Smith Memorial Fund.

Maria Salinas is pursuing her Master's degree in Health Education and will graduate May 2010. She received her Bachelor's in Health Education from UM Flint.

Marlenn Arambula Nevarez is a 2009 graduate of Flint Central High School. She plans on majoring in visual arts & communication with a minor in Spanish.

Claudia Garcia Portillo is also a 2009 graduate from Flint Central High School. Portillo is a pre-med biology major at UM Flint. Her plans are to become a physician.

The funding for the scholarships is provided by the TG-Flint College Connection Project. TG is a public, nonprofit, Texas based corporation that administers the Federal Family Education Loan Program, formerly known as the Guaranteed Student Loan Program. TG supports a number of programs aimed at serving the needs of students who are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented at colleges and universities.

Mott Community College was originally awarded a $40,000 grant to operate this outreach effort.

The TG-Flint College Connection Project was developed in partnership with the MCC Hispanic Technology Community Center located at 2101 Lewis Street, the Asbury Family Development Center, a neighborhood resource center housed in Asbury Methodist Church, located at 1653 Davison Road; and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Flint 3701 N. Averill Avenue. For more information about the TG – Flint College Connection, call Carlos Cisneros, MCC Student Financial Resource Consultant at (810) 762-5125.