Agapito Mendoza Scholarship Breakfast Will Fund UMKC Latina/Latino Students

Featured student speaker Cheyanne Youngs will discuss benefits

The Division of Diversity and Inclusion is sponsoring the eighth annual Agapito Mendoza Scholarship Breakfast to raise funds for University of Missouri-Kansas City Latina and Latino student scholarships.

The breakfast will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 9 at Pierson Auditorium in the UMKC Atterbury Student Success Center, 5000 Holmes St.

Cheyanne Youngs, currently pursuing a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting, will be the featured student speaker for the breakfast. This event provides opportunities for students, like Youngs, to achieve their dreams.

Youngs currently serves as vice president of finance for Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity that prepares students to be ethical leaders in their careers and to serve their communities. She also is an active member of UMKC’s Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, the International Honor Organization, and on top of a rigorous course load, she works two jobs to support herself.

The Scholarship honors the memory of Agapito Mendoza, Ph.D. (1946-2003), a former UMKC professor and associate provost for Affirmative Action. An indefatigable advocate for students, Mendoza also served on The Coalition of Hispanic Organizations, the Greater Kansas City Committee on Latino Concerns, as an appointee on the Desegregation Monitoring Committee by the Federal Court in Kansas City, on the boards of Cabot Westside Clinic, the Guadalupe Center, Friends of the Library and the Greater Kansas City National Conference of Christians and Jews, in addition to many other civic organizations.

Mendoza was known for his commitment to all students and for his ability to make each student he touched feel unique and valued. His career was cut short when he unexpectedly passed away in 2003.

The goal of the Division of Diversity and Inclusion is to retain and increase the number of Latina/Latino students at UMKC. Scholarships and grants have become scarce over the years, and many students cannot afford a college education without scholarship awards. The ability to award additional Agapito Mendoza Scholarships will help UMKC attract and retain more Latina/Latino students.

This Scholarship fund has awarded annually renewable scholarships to 91 students with more than $70,000 raised during the breakfast since 2009. At the 2015 Scholarship Breakfast, $10,803 were raised.

A keynote address will be given by an UMKC alumna. For details, visit the Mendoza Scholarship website.

To RSVP, visit the Mendoza Scholarship Breakfast or call 816-235-6728.

 


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