TheConnecticut Association of Latinos in Higher Education (CALAHE) awarded Naugatuck Valley Community College students Ana Cruz, Francisco Ramos, and Johanna Toledo-Bravo, scholarships at its August 9 reception. Cruz and Ramos are current NVCC students, while Toledo-Bravo is a recent NVCC graduate enrolled at Western Connecticut State University.

One of eight children, Cruz says she found out about NVCC through her siblings, five of whom were previous students at the College and encouraged her to attend and become active in the multitude of on-campus clubs and student activities. Taking their advice to heart, Cruz currently serves as the Vice President of NVCC’s Student Government Association and was pleasantly surprised when she received the news of the scholarship. While she didn’t expect to receive it, she was nevertheless encouraged by administration and fellow students to apply. Cruz says the scholarship, “comes at a good time,” and will help take some of the financial weight off her family. The third-year student hopes to graduate next spring with an associate degree in Liberal Arts, and plans to continue her education at Central Connecticut State University where she intends to earn her bachelor’s in history and pursue a career in education with the goal of one day teaching high school.

Ramos, who is a familiar face on campus and a General Studies major, is working towards transferring to Southern Connecticut State University where he plans to enroll in its Film and TV Production program and hopes to one day be a news anchor.  During the school year, Ramos is employed as a peer helper at the College’s Academic Center for Excellence.

Toledo-Bravo graduated from NVCC last May with an associate degree in Behavioral Science and transferred to Western Connecticut State University where she is currently studying psychology and hopes to focus her studies and career on autism spectrum disorder.

“Take advantage of the resources at NVCC,” Toledo-Bravo advised incoming students, recalling the strong relationship she formed with her advisor and that her advisor was the one who tipped her off about the scholarship and encouraged her to apply.

NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D. said, “Through the generosity of CALAHE, now in its 40th year of supporting Latino students in Connecticut, hundreds of students have received financial support to pursue their educational goals. I want to thank all of our NVCC students for their diligence and their families for trusting us with the education of their children, or as in the case of the Cruz family- five of their children. Education is about entering new rooms by finding our own keys, opening ourselves to new opportunities and creating in ourselves the capacity to envision ourselves in different roles, understanding that the essence of life is change and change for the better through education. ”

The Connecticut Association of Latinos in Higher Education (CALAHE) is dedicated to promoting and advocating full access, retention and participation of Latinos/Latinas throughout Connecticut higher education. The non-profit organization, which began with a meeting of a handful of Latino educators in 1978, today is composed of Latino and non-Latino personnel and students from institutions of higher and secondary education, and other professional organizations who share in the spirit of that mission. CALAHE awards scholarships annually to students who are bound for or currently enrolled in college.