Sentara Health has awarded a grant to the college-access nonprofit Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) to support students pursuing healthcare-related studies.
The $5,000 grant, which brings Sentara’s support for SLI to more than $130,000 since 2022, will help provide college access opportunities for students to gain awareness of their college and career options, including those in health care, plus support college scholarships for SLI scholars who are pursuing health-related studies and careers.
SLI’s mission is to support Latino/a/x high school students with college access through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, scholarships, and supportive mentorships. Its programs in Harrisonburg, Winchester, and Richmond have served more than 200 students, and SLI alumni have attended 25 colleges and universities. An estimated 30 percent of SLI alumni pursue health-related studies.
Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 34,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1 million members in Virginia and Florida.
Grants from Sentara have supported SLI programming, plus scholarships for SLI scholars and alumni pursuing health-related studies and careers including health information management, biology, clinical laboratory science, neuroscience, nursing, psychology, biomedical engineering, occupational therapy, medical Spanish, speech pathology, biotech science, and computer engineering.
“All of us need health care at some point in our lives,” said Fawn-Amber Montoya, SLI board chair. “Sentara’s support for the excellent young people who are SLI scholars means increased opportunities for meaningful careers that support the health of our communities.”
The grant also supports community connections through sponsorship of SLI Celebración ’25, which will take place at the Loft at Liberty St. on Saturday, November 8. The evening celebrates the successes of SLI scholars and will feature a locally sourced fajita bar, wine and local beers, the music of Lua Project, and more. Tickets will be available at vasli.org/celebracion beginning August 16.
A response to medical staff shortages plaguing the U.S. healthcare system, the grants are part of Sentara efforts to create a pipeline for young students to their desired healthcare careers while also positively impacting their community’s economics and health equity outcomes.
