SAN ANTONIO – Our Lady of the Lake University announced it will receive a $2.2 million grant to support first-generation students, the largest private investment in the school’s history.
The grant from the Hector and ́Gloria López Foundation (HGLF) will ensure that graduates can enter the workforce as debt-free, supported and prepared as possible, a university press release said.
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“This will be a transformative gift for many of our students, about 40 percent of whom are first generation,” OLLU President Abel A. Chávez said.
The grant recipients will be known as López Scholars. In addition to tuition assistance, they will receive funding to cover costs such as housing, supplies and leadership development.
Funding from the grant is also expected to support university staff working with the scholars, the release said.
“We are excited to invest in students at San Antonio universities that are committed to addressing the unique needs of first-generation students, with comprehensive support for these students’ success, both during their college years and after graduation,” HGLF President and CEO Sergio Rodríguez said.
According to the release, no application exists to qualify as a López Scholar. Rather, students selected must demonstrate a financial need, be the first in their family to attend college and have lived in or graduated from a high school in one of five focus areas.
The focus areas are El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, and communities in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.
The check for the grant will be presented during a ceremony on Wednesday, March 27.
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