Mente Summit
2020 Scholarship Recipients
For every five associate and bachelor degrees awarded to the Latinx community, only two are awarded to Latinx males, and it is projected that if left ignored, this gap could more than double by the year 2040. The purpose of the MENTE Summit Scholarship is to encourage and provide Latinx student males the opportunity to further their academic and technical potential as they prepare to become future leaders. 2020 marks the first year the MENTE Summit awards eight $1000 scholarships to five high school students and three college students.
Miguel Soriano Sánchez
Miguel Soriano Sánchez is in his second year at Portland Community College. Miguel Identifies as a Queer, Latino Man and is a first-generation college student. He currently works at the Multicultural and Queer resource centers on campus as a student advocate. He holds a 3.92 GPA and is working on his Associates of Science Transfer Degree. After he finishes at PCC Miguel plans on transferring to Portland State University and pursuing a career in Teaching. He hopes to become a high school language arts teacher and eventually become a high school Principal. Miguel believes that If children don't feel represented and supported we can't expect them to succeed. He hopes to take his experiences, break down boundaries, and advocate for his communities vas well as other people of color.
Manuel Vásquez Vásquez
Manuel is 20 years old wants to reach his dream of becoming a Dual language kindergarten teacher. He comes from a big family and is the first one to go to college. Manuel currently attends Portland Community College and plans to transfer to the University of Oregon or Western Oregon University. Education is something that means a lot to Manuel because he knows it will make a change in his future. Manuel wants to make his parents proud, but most importantly, to make himself proud because of his accomplishments.
Juan Castillo
Juan grew up in Hood River, Oregon, and graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 2018. Currently, he is a sophomore at Portland Community College and is working towards his AAORT: Oregon Transfer Degree. After completing his degree at Portland Community College, Juan hopes to transfer to Portland State University and work his way to his master’s in education. Juan would like to pursue his dream career of being a middle school teacher and help guide future students into pursuing their dream careers.
Ángel Álvarez
Ángel Álvarez is a first-generation Mexican-American and first-generation college student fromPhoenix, Oregon. An advocate for his community, Ángel was not only involved in DECA,soccer, and golf but is also Senior Ambassador for the Multicultural Student Union and a mentor in the Youth Male Initiative Cohort, a program serving behaviorally and academically challenged Latino Youth. This fall Ángel plans on pursuing a degree as a Paramedic/Firefighter and eventually majoring in nursing to become a Flight Nurse, which gives him the opportunity to directly and positively impact his patients and his community.
Luis Adrián Calderón Díaz
Luis Calderón is originally from Morelia Michoacán. Luis and his family migrated to the US in 2006. Luis was three years old when he was brought to the US. He is the second oldest male his my family of eight. Luis is very passionate about the sport of CrossFit. He has played it for the last five years and has competed in competitions, including the world wide open. Luis is very passionate about bettering his community, which is something he aspires to continue doing in the future.Luis is still undecided about what college to attend. He has been looking into George Fox University and Western Oregon University and aspires to become an educator to make an impact in the lives of students and his community.
Iván Galicia Sixto
Iván and his mother relocated to Oaxaca, Mexico when Iván was eight-years-old. He did well in elementary and middle school, but because he was not a Mexican citizen, he could not attend high school without paying exorbitant tuition. Determined to earn his diploma and go to college, Iván got his documents in order and came alone to the United States when he was sixteen-years-old. He struggled immensely, but he met every challenge head-on. Iván excelled in school, worked to support himself, served as an AVID tutor is a member of his school’s Key Club, the M.E.Ch.A treasurer, participated in the Oregon Migrant Leadership Institute and the Close Up leadership trip to Washington DC. Soon, he realized his life’s purpose; to become a high school teacher. More than anything, Iván wants to be a role model for students that struggle as he did.
José Luis Pasaye Marcelo
After grade school, José began to think about what he wanted for his future. He didn't care about school at that time. However, he always looked towards making his mother happy because she was the only one who cared for his future, not to mention one of the sole reasons why she came to the U.S alongside his father and siblings. His parents wanted to give his siblings ( two brothers and a sister), a brighter outcome. As a result, he changed his mood and faced his challenges head-on. Luis began to realize that getting good grades was possible if he tried, but the most significant challenge was his disability.
For most of middle elementary and middle school, Luis was a shy person. Likewise, he would pretend to be someone he wasn't by being a troublesome student. However, his mood and personality changed after he began to volunteer with organizations that accepted who he was. They challenged him to move out of his comfort zone. As such, Luis now likes who he is and is not bother about others think of him. The only thing he worries about is honoring his family as a successful leader. Luis is proud to be Hispanic and a first-generation college student. Luis wants to major in computer science and work hard to build his own company.
Leobardo Maldonado
Leobardo Maldonado was born in McMinnville, Oregon to two immigrant parents from Mexico. He’s lived part of his life in central California. He now lives in McMinnville and has attended the local schools for all of his educational career. He will be graduating from McMinnville High School this June and is looking forward to attending Linfield and majoring in education and history to teach to the next generation of students.