Research has it that there are 4.6 million Immigrants and foreign-born citizens in Florida, and they make up 21.2% of Florida’s population which makes education paramount for them. However, children of Immigrants, especially first-generation Americans, find it difficult to receive the proper financial support they need from their parents or other families.
Most of these children’s parents didn’t complete college and they are residing in a community that doesn’t propagate education, they tend not to have the motivation and necessary funds.
Fortunately, there is a handful of scholarships for immigrants in Florida, and there are still other scholarships exclusively for Hispanic/Latino students who are the first to pursue a 2 or 4-year college/university. And, if you’re a first-gen student but not of Hispanic heritage, then you should check out other first-generation scholarships.
But don’t limit yourself to scholarships solely for Immigrants, endeavor to also apply for other financial aid like law school scholarships in Florida or even Athletic Scholarships if you’re skillful in a particular sport.
Before we list these scholarships for immigrants in Florida, let’s first explain the difference between first, second, and third-generation Americans.
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Who are First, Second, and Third generation Immigrant Children
First generation immigrant child is someone born in the United States to parents that immigrated to the country. Second-generation immigrants are children born to at least one foreign-born parent, or you can say they are the children of the first generation.
The third generation is children with two U.S. native parents.
Let’s put it this way if you immigrated to the U.S. with your spouse; your kid will be first generation; your grand kids will be second generation; and your great grand kids will be third generation.
Scholarships for Immigrants in Florida
1. Que Llueva Café Scholarship
This annual scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors intending to enroll for the first time in an accredited college or university in the U.S. or Puerto Rico. Interested candidates need to demonstrate financial need, and have participated in extracurricular activities, and a good academic result might still be considered.
2. Hispanic Heritage Fund of Metro Orlando
This is one of the scholarships for immigrants in Florida dedicated to supporting Hispanic students in Central Florida to successfully complete their higher education college career. Besides being a Hispanic heritage to be eligible, you also need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and need to plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree and enroll full-time.
Preference is given to students that demonstrate financial need.
3. Asian Pacific Fund
APF awards several scholarships to Immigrant students of Asian heritage, they include;
- Chin: Shui Kuen and Allen Chin Scholarship worth $1,000
- Hsiao Memorial Social Sciences Scholarship worth $1,000
- Tina E. Yeh Community Service Fellowship worth $5,000
4. Leonard M. Perryman Communications Scholarship for Racial Ethnic Minority Students
This $2,500 worth of scholarship is awarded to United Methodist ethnic minority students enrolled at the junior or senior level in the journalism or communications department of an accredited college or university in the United States. Preference is given to applicants that have Christian commitment and involvement in the life of the United Methodist Church.
5. Law Office Of Jae Lee Immigrant Student Scholarship
This is one of the scholarships for immigrants in Florida for first or second generation immigrants from low-income families worth $1,000 per semester.
Coming from a Law firm, you should expect them to focus on students that intend to study law, right? Actually, they don’t, the scholarship is for any student currently enrolled in or accepted for admission to a college, university, or graduate program with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Also, to be eligible, your family must be considered to be low-income, with an annual household income of less than $50,000.
6. Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund
If you’re an immigrant active or emerging activist in progressive movements for liberation, self-determination, and social and economic justice in your community, then you might be eligible for this scholarship. A scholarship worth up to $15,000 is awarded to 25-30 recipients each, the amount can be lower depending on the applicants’ circumstances and available funds.
7. Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships Award
This scholarship is a merit-based graduate school program for immigrants and children of immigrants. Out of approximately 2,000 applicants, only 30 are selected, making it one of the very competitive scholarships for immigrants in Florida.
The good part is that each of these recipients will be awarded up to $90,000 in funding to support any graduate studies of their choice at institutions. Recipients will also be privileged to join a distinguished community of past recipients.
8. Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The HSF scholarships are awarded to 10,000 outstanding students. That’s one of the highest numbers of recipients you’ll ever see from a foundation.
Scholars will have access to a full range of invaluable Scholar Support Services, including career services, mentorship, leadership development, knowledge building, and wellness training. Also, scholars will receive up to $5,000, have access to select internship and job opportunities with HSF corporate partners, and many other access.
9. José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant Fund
This is a need-based merit scholarship that provides financial assistance to eligible students of Hispanic origin who will attend Florida public or eligible private institutions. Applicants need to submit a Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA), be Florida residents and U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, plus other eligibility.
10. Minority Teacher Education Scholarship
The annual MTES is worth $4,000 and it’s awarded to students residing in Florida, members of a racial group, admitted/newly admitted into a state-approved teacher education program at any of FFMT’s participating universities/colleges. Applicants can either be junior, senior, or graduate students at one of FFMT’s participating universities/colleges and need to write a 100-300 word essay on a topic they will provide.
11. TheDream.US Scholarship
This is a nationwide scholarship program for undocumented immigrant undergraduate students with or without DACA or TPS status who came to the U.S. The scholarship is worth up to $16,500 for an associate’s degree and $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree, and it’s renewable.
They also provide non-resident tuition waivers and other additional
Conclusion
The truth is these scholarships for immigrants residing in Florida might not be enough to offset the cost of education, that’s why you shouldn’t restrict your scholarship search. You should also apply for scholarships that didn’t mention anything about immigrants.
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