The Jose Antonio Echeverria Scholarship

• Award For 2024-2025($2,000 Fall 2024 & $2,000 Spring 2025)**

The José Antonio Echeverría Scholarship is awarded every year to an undergraduate and/or graduate FIU student who meets the requirements. All undergraduate applicants must enroll in the Undergraduate Certificate Program in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, if not enrolled at the time of application. This requirement is not applicable to graduate students.

The scholarship was created to honor the memory of José Antonio Echeverría, President of the University Students Federation (FEU in Spanish) at the University of Havana in 1957, who was murdered while defending democracy in Cuba. The purpose of this scholarship is to promote the understanding of the political, social, and economic realities of 1950s Cuba, and in particular of the life and legacy of José Antonio Echeverría, and to encourage students to become active in governmental and political affairs.

In 2007, Echeverría’s family and friends donated $100,000 to establish the scholarship fund at FIU. The scholarship has been awarded every year since then. The José Antonio Echeverría Foundation announces the scholarship winner(s) every year in October at a fundraising luncheon, where the awarded student(s) are expected to speak.

This year, the family has decided to grant two scholarships, one for an undergraduate student, and a second one for a graduate student. The best two applications received in their respective categories will be awarded $4,000 each.

Eligibility Criteria
a. At the time of application, the student must be enrolled at FIU as an undergraduate degree-seeking student taking at least 12 credit hours each semester, or as a graduate degree-seeking student taking at least 9 credit hours each semester. If the graduate student has already taken the comprehensive exams, then the requirement is 3 credit hours.
b. Awarded students must be actively enrolled for the above-required number of credits in order to receive the scholarship.
c. GPA and Transcripts. Applicants must submit unofficial transcripts demonstrating a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale at FIU, or, if newly enrolled at FIU, at other institutions attended.
d. Certificate Program. At the time of application, undergraduate students must also be enrolled in the Certificate Program in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. Students who are not currently registered in the Certificate Program in Cuban and Cuban-American Studies can apply to this scholarship only if they enroll prior to or simultaneously at the time of application. This requirement is not applicable to graduate students.
e. Essay. Applicants must submit an original, well-researched, and properly documented 3-page-minimum essay (double spaced, 12-point font, in English or Spanish) demonstrating knowledge of the life and beliefs of José Antonio Echeverría and his contributions to and efforts toward democracy in Cuba. The selected essay(s) will be published at the José A. Echeverría Foundation website and other online outlets.

For more information contact 305-348-1991 or email cri@fiu.edu.