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UNO Students Earn $20,000 in Scholarships from Latino, Latin American Studies Office

OLLAS grads

Students from OLLAS celebrate just prior to UNO's May 2013 Commencement ceremonies

OMAHA – Eleven University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) students have received scholarship awards for the 2014-2015 academic year thanks to the Mammel Foundation.

The Next Generation Leadership Scholarship (NGLS) fund was established within the University of Nebraska Foundation for the purpose of encouraging and rewarding academic excellence and community engagement among UNO students with significant financial need. The Office of Latino/Latin American Studies of the Great Plains (OLLAS) at UNO has administered the scholarship program since 2005.

A maximum of two of the awards are designated for incoming freshmen. The remaining awards are available to students in their second to final years and enrolled in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education, Communication, Fine Arts and Media, Public Affairs and Community Service, or University Division.

A committee made up of UNO faculty and staff, as well as community representatives, awarded the 2014-2015 NGLS scholarships to the following students:

  • Makayla Bell, sophomore (Omaha)
  • Alysa Dail, junior (Bellevue)
  • Brieland Fripp, sophomore (Papillion)
  • Laura Herrera, sophomore (Omaha)
  • DeAna Lara, senior (Bellevue)
  • Dayana Lopez, incoming freshman (Central High School, Omaha)
  • Iris Muñoz-Ortiz, incoming freshman (South High Magnet School, Omaha)
  • Yanira Perez Flores, senior (Omaha)
  • Diana Ortiz, junior (Omaha)
  • Bryan Sibrian, junior (Bellevue)
  • Marvin Sibrian, junior (Bellevue)

Only students who have graduated from the Omaha, Bellevue, Ralston or Papillion-La Vista Public school systems are eligible to apply.

Chosen students will participate in activities organized by OLLAS throughout the year.

"As a single mother and first generation college student, I have high ambitions to establish a greater future for my family and my community,” said DeAna Lara, one of this year’s recipients. “By [receiving] the Next Generation Leadership Scholarship I will be able to focus on my education to build my career. My greatest hope is to one day become a leader in my community for the seniors who are most in need."

Online applications for the 2015-2016 academic year will be available on the OLLAS website. The application deadline for submitting complete application packets is June 12, 2015.

Awards are typically announced by mid-July.

Since 2013, the NGLS committee has also awarded NGLS “in name only” to students demonstrating outstanding academic and community engagement but without substantial financial need or with sufficient financial aid. This year Guillermo Hernandez (Bryan High School, Bellevue), an incoming freshman, and Alma Becerril Salas, a UNO senior (Omaha), received the “in name only” NGLS award.

For more information about the scholarship, contact the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS): 402.554.3835 or www.unomaha.edu/ollas and click on the “Student Opportunities” link.

For media inquiries, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at 402.554.2129 or by email at unonews@unomaha.edu.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

 Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

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