Holberton Puerto Rico opens scholarship fund at Puerto Rico Community Foundation
Holberton Puerto Rico, a computer science school focused on coding, has established a Holberton Puerto Rico Scholarship Fund at the Puerto Rico Community Foundation to benefit students who attend or would like to study at the institution, and who have financial need.
The expectation is to raise an annual fund of $100,000 that can benefit about 10 students per year, the entities confirmed.
“The innovative program requires a lot of time and great dedication. We’ve come across students who are considering not continuing their studies, because they can’t handle the demands of working and studying at the same time,” said Verónica Colón, director of Holberton Puerto Rico.
“The scholarship, as it is supplementary, seeks to give the student body the opportunity of not having to work full time and fill their financial needs with the scholarship,” she said.
The Holberton program is free for students, who upon graduating are expected to land a job immediately and be able to start paying back for their education, based on their salary.
“When we learned about Holberton School, we were struck by its model, since it is committed to the employability of young people, once they finish their studies,” said Mary Ann Gabino, senior vice president of the Puerto Rico Community Foundation of.
“That’s aligned with the Community Foundation’s mission and allows us not only to boost our island’s human capital, but also seeks to strengthen its productivity and financial capacity,” she said.
Holberton School plans to finance the fund during the first quarter of 2021 to be able to award the first scholarships that same year. The foundation is also opening the fund to outside donations.