The college access nonprofit Shenandoah Valley Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) has awarded nearly $170,000 in college scholarships and technology grants for the 2026-27 academic year, passing $1 million in total student support since its incorporation in 2012.
The milestone will be highlighted at Celebración de SLI’s Million Dollar Año at the Loft on Liberty St. in Harrisonburg on Saturday, November 14, which will feature live music by Lua Project, locally sourced Latin American cuisine, sangria, wine, local beers, coffee, Mexican hot chocolate, té de jamaica and horchata, the music of Lua Project, and more. Tickets and more event details are at vasli.org/celebracion.
SLI’s mission is to support Latino/a/x high school students with college access through its programs in Harrisonburg, Richmond, and Winchester that include rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, supportive mentorships, and scholarships.
SLI awards announced this summer total $169,537, second only to 2025’s record outlay. Funded by the SLI community of support, they include a $6,000 scholarship and a technology grant of up to $1,250 for each of 17 SLI alumni for their first year of college, plus $47,000 in scholarships for 27 SLI alumni continuing their undergraduate studies.
SLI awards now total $1,064,800, and its 173 alumni have attended 32 colleges and universities.
“SLI is proud to be part of the fabric of our society that believes in and recognizes its young people’s current strengths and ever growing potential,” said Fawn-Amber Montoya, Ph.D., SLI board chair and professor of history at James Madison University. “The generosity of the individuals, organizations, and businesses who fund SLI is having an immediate and tremendous impact on SLI scholars, their families, and our communities.”
More than half of the awardees are pursuing healthcare careers, including nursing, midwifery, pediatrics, primary care, neuroscience, biomedicine, dermatology, radiology, pharmaceuticals, athletic training, social work, psychiatry, speech therapy, and public health. Additional anticipated careers are in business, education, accounting, graphic design, law, policy analysis, architecture, finance, communications, and engineering.
They are attending Dickinson College, Eastern Mennonite University, Harvard College, Hollins University, the Illinois Institute of Technology, James Madison University, Longwood University, Randolph-Macon College, Shenandoah University, the University of Chicago, the University of Richmond, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and Blue Ridge, J. Sargent Reynolds, Southside Virginia, and Laurel Ridge Community Colleges.
“This money doesn’t only help me achieve my goals, it helps my family see that their sacrifices weren’t for nothing,” SLI alumna Serafina ’26 (pediatric nursing ’30) wrote after receiving her award. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
Recent major gifts to support SLI scholars have come from the Herndon Foundation, the Gerald and Kaye Family Gift Fund at the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, the SLI Founder’s Fund, the Bloomfield Family Foundation, the Vera R. Campbell Foundation, Merck, the Steven B. Achelis Foundation, the Schewel Charitable Foundation, the Gerald and Paula McNichols Family Foundation, Gary and Debbie Turner, and the Elis Olsson Memorial Foundation. Additional members of SLI’s community of support are recognized at vasli.org/community.
