Cumbres Scholarships

The Judy Farr Alumni Center hosted the Cumbres Scholarship reception as a way for Cumbres donors to personally meet their scholarship recipients and get to know the students they are helping. Over 30 students met attended the event to thank their generous supporters.

Cumbres is part of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Cumbres, "Peaks" in Spanish, has a special focus – specifically, it is a teacher preparation program that seeks to recruit students who are committed to working with Hispanic school children, language minority students, and children of poverty in the public schools. UNC students in the Cumbres teacher preparation program are pursuing a specific endorsement in: Bilingual Education  OR Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), in addition to their  intended endorsement(s).

(Cumbres Students Pictured L-R: Carlos Olivas, Delia T. Balderrama, Veronica Gomez, Iris Cruz, Tony Dian, Ariel Galasso, Tony Diaz)

Cumbres Facts

• Cumbres  has more than 140 current students seeking licensure endorsements in bilingual  instruction and/or English as Second Language (ESL).
• The  average Cumbres student Grade Point Average (GPA) exceeds a 3.2 cumulative GPA.
• Each freshman and sophomore of the program are paired up with a mentor within the University or surrounding  community.
• More  than 90% of Cumbres students are considered to be first-generation college  students.
• Cumbres  students receive a $1,500 grant each year.
• Cumbres students are recruited from over 73 different high schools.              
  

Cumbres Program

Cumbres uses a cohort concept,  in which an identified group of teacher education students begin together as freshmen and take a cluster of courses each year that not only prepare them for  their area of primary teacher certification, but also for an endorsement in Second Language. What sets these teacher education students apart is that they are being specifically trained to teach public school children who may be bilingual in English or Spanish, or whose primary language is Spanish.
 
In addition to the bonding that  the cohort experience produces, Cumbres students are also assigned mentors – individuals in the Greeley community or faculty and staff at UNC – who work one-on-one with Cumbres students. The mentors' role is to help guide Cumbres students through their  program of study. Mentors are problem solvers, sounding boards, and informal  advisors. The combination of taking courses together as a cohort and being "shadowed" by mentors concerned with their academic success provides Cumbres students an advantage when it comes to academic achievement.

As each Cumbres student starts their freshman year of college, each student is assigned a room in Sabin Hall located on central campus. Sabin Hall, specifically assigned for Cumbres students, has come to be a home away from home for all students. Beyond this, the fact that Cumbres students share common goals, helps create friendships  that will not only last through their college years, but may well form the  basis for lifelong relationships.

For more information visit the Cumbres website.
If you would like to dontate to the Cumbres Program please click the Make a Gift Today button below or contact Michael Muskin, Director of Development for the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences at 970.351.1408d or at michael.muskin@unco.edu