© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Effort aims to give scholarships to Latinx students going to Eastern Connecticut State University

Elsa M. Núñez, president of Eastern CT State Univ. and Claudio Melendez-Cooper, executive director of the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut have joined forces to offer scholarships to in-state students from Hispanic and Latino communities.
Tom Hurlbut
/
Eastern Connecticut State University
Elsa M. Núñez, president of Eastern CT State Univ. and Claudio Melendez-Cooper, executive director of the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut, have joined forces to offer scholarships to in-state students from Hispanic and Latino communities.

The Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University have joined forces to offer scholarships to in-state students from Hispanic and Latino communities.

“The Hispanic Alliance scholarship opportunity and the matching program set up by Eastern together cover a large majority of the tuition cost that one would need to pay in order to attend Eastern,” said Claudio Melendez-Cooper, executive director of the Hispanic Alliance. “We're greatly reducing the financial barrier of entry to the students.”

Melendez-Cooper said this is a pathway for Latino students to pursue higher education regardless of their citizenship status.

Eastern will match the scholarship funds up to $2,500 for full-time students enrolled as of next fall. In order to be eligible for the scholarships, students must live in New London County and be of Hispanic or Latino background. Recipients have to maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and must reapply for the scholarship every year.

“Partnerships like this are crucial in ensuring that we're able to reach those communities that might not otherwise be aware of the opportunities that are available to them,” said Jennifer Brown, Eastern’s associate provost of academic affairs.

Brenda León is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Brenda covers the Latino/a, Latinx community with an emphasis on wealth-based disparities in health, education and criminal justice.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.