A letter from Jason Good
chair, SLI board of directors
vice president for innovation and student recruitment, Eastern Mennonite University

Dear SLI Community of Support,

As 2020 comes to an end, I want to express my gratitude to you for your vital participation in creating college opportunities for SLI’s 114 current and alumni scholars, like Albert ’19:

“SLI positively impacted me by offering resources to help navigate my high school course selection, helping me develop a critical-thinking mindset through college-level seminars, and financially supporting my community college transfer credits and college expenses.”

The outpouring of support for SLI this year has allowed SLI to expand its 2021 budget for college scholarships, computer awards, and dual enrollment tuition assistance to more than $100,000, a first for this young nonprofit. Thank you for helping to grow SLI’s impact! 

I am proud of what SLI has been able to offer even during the COVID-19 pandemic. SLI’s program directors at high schools and universities in Harrisonburg, Richmond, and Winchester continue to find unique and creative ways to impact scholars, such as:

• “Early College” seminars with reading and writing assignments on democracy;
• Workshops on financial aid, scholarships, and the college application process; 
• Peer mentorship including meeting with new SLI candidates and through individual pairings and student organizations; 
• “SLI on Sunday” virtual gatherings focused on support and well-being and leadership;
• Community service efforts such as a voter registration campaign that resulted in 30 new registered voters, including the parents of one scholar. Spring semester activities will include a clothing drive for families in Central America affected by hurricanes, participation in a community campaign for sustainable solar energy, support for an initiative to provide college application assistance and career guidance to Latinx immigrants who have graduated with their GED, and a post-holiday gift grab for elementary and middle-school students who may need to replenish school supplies;
• Artist meetings with poet and performer Denice Frohman and Peabody Award winning film writer, director, and producer John Valadez, in collaboration with JMU’s Center for Multicultural Student Services and the JMU Honors College; and
• Book study and capstone project with JMU English Professor Allison Fagan on Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson.

Again, thank you for being part of SLI’s successes in 2020.

Wishing you all the best in the new year,

Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) alumna Julia ’19 is studying Arts in Media & Communications.

Scholars Latino Initiative has changed my life tremendously and has provided me with help in many ways, giving me guidance and helping me financially and emotionally. 

At the beginning of my freshman year of high school I was concerned that people would look at me differently because I was new at my school, but my main concern was my future, as I thought I was unable to go to college due to the lack of money and my language barrier. 

But when I had the opportunity to join SLI, I saw doors open my way. I was able to meet more people like me who wanted to achieve their dreams. I was able to connect with important people who would academically guide me to choose the right path for my future. 

That is something I did not get at home. Because my dad never had the opportunity to go to school and doesn’t know how to read, he was never able to help me fill out important documents for school. But he has been beyond supportive, and I would not be standing where I am right now if it was not for his sacrifice. 

While I did not have academic guidance at home, I did have it through SLI, thanks to SLI mentors and [my program director] Peter who took their time to fill out documents I had never even heard of before, like the FAFSA.

Peter taught me how to write 10-page essays and I am grateful for that because if I had not received the help I got from SLI, I would not be where I am today. Thanks to SLI, I have been able to be more confident about my writing, reading, and pronunciation. I’m also able to attend college and achieve my dreams of becoming a communicator and helping my family. SLI has opened doors to places where I never thought I would be.

Thanks to SLI, I began my university education in the fall of 2019. As a first-generation college student, the process to get into college was difficult to me at first, but thankfully my SLI mentor guided me throughout the application process and that opened more opportunities to me. 

When I went to college I knew I wanted to study Arts in Media & Communications. This year I took general ed classes as well as Media & Communication classes such as Understanding Media and Communications, Multimedia Journalism, Writing Women, and Role Play and Simulation. I am also taking a summer class (Business & Professional Communication) to keep moving forward with my studies. 

At the moment I have earned 31 college credits. My plan is to keep going and graduate, to achieve my dreams.

My priorities are school and to help my mom bi-weekly. I work a full-time job from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Saturday. I try to provide my family in El Salvador with the things they need, as my mother and brother currently have an unstable well-being and I am the only person that can really help them. But as I do that, my priority is also school and being able to keep it going to have a successful future.

I also have Spanish conversations for the students at my college who are currently learning the language. I do that as a work study position during the school year and over the summer, but my main purpose of being part of the Spanish conversations is to help students learn the language. 

I am proud that one of my professors has recommended me to the Honors Program, and I am currently in the process of becoming part of it. 

This past year I also had the honor of being elected as the student SLI coordinator for my university and being a guide to local high school students who are currently enrolled with SLI. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity that has been given to me. This is something I can do to give back to the program that opened doors for my future.