Aurora University student Candi Esquina of Montgomery awarded prestigious Latino scholarships

Related Media

Candi Esquina

AURORA, IL (01/31/2012)(readMedia)-- Candi Esquina, an Aurora University senior from Montgomery, has won two prestigious Latino student scholarships totaling $5,000.

Esquina, a pre-medicine health science major, received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Scholarship earlier this month and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund General College Scholarship in December. Each scholarship is worth $2,500.

"The faculty at AU is very pleased for and proud of Candi for earning these awards. She is an extremely motivated and passionate student," said Aaron Wyman, Assistant Professor of Biology, who nominated Esquina for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Scholarship. "When working with her classmates, she frequently takes a leadership role. Candi works with and interacts effectively with a diverse group of peers, a skill she'll put to good use in her career."

Esquina, a graduate of East Aurora High School, has also excelled outside the classroom. She has conducted lab-based research, tutored students in various subjects, and served as historian of the Latin American Student Organization. Additionally, she has attended United States Hispanic Leadership Institute conferences and volunteered in activities by LASO and Mu Sigma Pi, the AU health science service club.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, established in 1978 to increase opportunities for Latinos to participate in the American policy-making process, offers scholarships to students who perform public-service activities in their communities. Founded in 1975, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund is the nation's leading Hispanic higher education fund.