Mexican Consulate gives $80K to Utah universities, programs

SALT LAKE CITY — The Mexican Consulate is providing $80,000 in grants for scholarships for low-income Mexican students in Utah.

“The investment in the education of young people is important in the future of any country,” Mexican Consul Socorro Rovirosa said Monday during a news conference at the Salt Lake City Main Library. “We must help these young people to continue their studies.”

The University of Utah and Utah Valley University each received $20,000 in scholarships. The Mexican Consulate also provided $20,000 each to the SOMOS Foundation, a scholarship program through the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and the adult education program at Centro de la Familia de Utah, a nonprofit agency devoted to strengthening the Latino community in Utah.

Another $5,760 was donated to the Children's Learning Center in Jackson, Wyo.

The scholarship program is designed to provide financial assistance to Mexican students living and studying at U.S. universities. The goal is to foster those students' academic development and contribute to the economic development of their communities in the U.S. and their places of origin in Mexico, officials said.

"When you invest in young people, you’re investing in the future of the country, " Rovirosa said.