Thanks to a $1.74 million gift from an anonymous donor, Yale Divinity School is establishing the new Félix Varela Scholarship and Internship to attract and support U.S. Latino/a and Latin American students at YDS.
The new scholarship is named in honor of Félix Varela, a Cuban-born priest and social reformer who was active in the Cuban independence movement in the 19th century and, during his exile in New York, worked tirelessly on behalf of that city’s burgeoning immigrant population.
The YDS scholarship covers tuition and provides a stipend for at least two students each year, with a preference for Roman Catholic students who are North Americans of Latino descent or who come from Latin America. The scholarship also includes a paid internship at the Saint Thomas More Center at Yale.
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“This great new program is being established by a donor who is extremely interested in maximizing the impact of YDS in developing new leadership for world Christianity, with a particular interest in Catholicism,” said Jim Hackney, Senior Director of Development at YDS. The donor, Hackney explained, is especially interested in fostering the growth of the church among Latinos communities in the United States as well as in Central and South America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
The scholarship represents a step forward in two larger initiatives of which YDS is part: the school’s new strategic plan to raise $40 million in new financial aid endowment for YDS by 2022 and the university-wide Access Yale challenge.
“Given the importance of internships in theological education,” Hackney said, “the donor wanted to ensure that the scholarship recipients could have internships directly related to their vocations, and that they would be free to take advantage of the rich academic offerings of YDS and Yale without worrying about earning money for living expenses. It’s a wonderful dimension of this program that the students will be able to work with the extraordinary staff at Saint Thomas More as they develop their practical skills.”
YDS Dean Greg Sterling said the school is an ideal place for U.S. Latino/a students and Latin American students to prepare for careers of service to church and world. “Our country and world are changing rapidly, and Yale Divinity School is in the forefront of responding to and shaping that change, while preparing students who can thrive in whatever contexts the future holds,” Sterling said. “We are grateful to the donor for making it possible to reach students of great ability to help lead that change.”