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Scholarships head start for students in healthcare fields

Latina students recognized for academics, service to community

The University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Hispanic Women’s Corporation have created special scholarships to award to Latinas who demonstrate academic prowess and a commitment to serving the state’s Latino population.

The goal of the scholarship is to prepare students for culturally sensitive and competent careers in public health.

The recipients of this year’s Latina Scholarship are undergraduate pre-health education student Sonia Aguila; and master of public health students Lourdes Barrera, Olga Felix, Christine Armenta; and Melisa Celaya, who is pursuing a doctorate in epidemiology.

Each winner will receive $4,000, funded by Canyon Ranch and the Hispanic Women’s Corporation. The recipients also were honored at Scholarship Benefit Luncheon at the 20th National Hispanic Women’s Conference in Phoenix on Sept. 16.

Linda Mazon Gutierrez, President of the Hispanic Women’s Corporation, said, “These young women have demonstrated a passion for providing services to underserved populations and assuring the community standard of care.

“These scholarships will provide additional resources as they prepare to enter their professional endeavors toward culturally competent care and research.”

As a high-school senior, Aguila logged more than 200 hours of supervised clinical activity with the Arizona Health Academy, a program designed to give hands-on experience to students interested in health careers.

She’s also a rape victim advocate with the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Abuse. Barrera received a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from the UA. She has volunteered as a medical interpreter at Clinica Amistad and Clinica San Juan, and has interned with Tucson Latina Action. Barrera currently works at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Clinic, which provides a range of health services to people who lack insurance and are ineligible to receive them elsewhere.

Felix received a bachelor’s degree in community health education from the UA. She has worked for Clinica Adelante, a non-profit organization serving migrant farm workers, as well as the Tucson Urban League and the Wesley Community Center.

Armenta majored in both nursing and Spanish for her bachelor’s degree.

She’s concurrently pursuing a master of public health degree from the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health and a Master’s in science nursing from Arizona State University. Armenta has worked as a registered nurse for the CARE Partnership in Mesa, Ariz., and has volunteered as an interpreter and document translator at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.

Celaya received both a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and a master’s in language, reading and culture from the UA. She co-founded the UA chapter of a service-based sorority, Gamma Alpha Omega, in 1993 and currently works at the Arizona Respiratory Center.

Applicants were evaluated and selected by Canyon Ranch and the Scholarship Committee of the Hispanic Women’s Corporation and the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. Selections were made based on: academic qualifications, a commitment to serving Arizona’s Latino population, demonstrated leadership in and awareness of Latino communities, talents and interests both inside and outside of the field of public health, fluency in Spanish and English and financial need.