Jóvenes Adelante Selects a Record 40 Students for the class 2023

Published July 13, 2023

By Don Krim

Jóvenes Adelante (JA) has just completed choosing young students for its incoming 2023 class, reaching its breakthrough goal of 40 new university scholars, enlarging its roster of current support to 143.

JA has been working towards this benchmark for years, radically expanding its outreach to more isolated communities while building our internal capacity for social support, mentoring, and scholarship availability. At JA, because the scholarship commitment is large ($25,000 pesos minimum annually)  and long (a minimum of 3 and usually 5 years), it is imperative to select students very diligently via a several month, in-depth process. Study path changes and transfer of credits are difficult in Mexico; students rarely have the luxury of a year or 2 to explore their interests before committing to a major. This is challenging for both JA and its scholars, so we make all efforts to “get it right” from the start.

The essence of Jóvenes Adelante is providing higher educational opportunity and equity for exceptional, underprivileged, first generation university students from the region of SMA. First generation university students change their own lives forever (and yes, we always consider exceptions;) they inspire and have a lasting impact on their families, communities, and society; higher educational achievement means upward socio-economic mobility; and by increasing educational opportunity and the chances of success, JA through its graduates contributes to building a 21st century Mexico.

Unlike government and many other private scholarship programs, JA offers a multi-dimensional support package. JA scholars receive $25,000 pesos per year as a baseline; first year students receive a new laptop; all students are eligible to apply for extra funds for increased need, emergencies, unanticipated expenses, or domestic and foreign travel related to their career development and overseas exchange programs. JA students receive individual mentors, psychological assistance, guidance counseling, English tutoring, success skills building classes, and the cost of their professional credentialing covered. All of this is provided for the duration of the student’s schooling. Upon graduation, graduates are elegible for support for advanced degree study.

This complete package and careful selection explains JA’s extraordinarily high graduation success rate. At 83%, it is more than 200% higher than the Mexican average of 26%.

The 2023 selection cycle was marked by several changes and as a result, an unanticipated flood of interest. JA expanded its outreach to include neighboring cities within Guanajuato including Celaya, Dolores Hidalgo and Comonfort. Starting with a record 612 initial short form applications, our team methodically undertook in-depth review of 188 aspiring students and their families. The 40 final students selected, plus backups on a waitlist, all have very strong profiles for success. Career selections are heavily weighted this year towards medical and related professions, but range from business administration to building and art restoration. A few students who have just finished high school (prepa) will likely not get into university their first time (high quality public autonomous universities usually have limited space available, and priority is granted to in-state residents.) Any JA vacancies will be filled from our waiting list, and the students who did not proceed will have their slot reserved for 1 additional university application cycle.

The next few articles in this series will feature some stories of our bright new scholars, revealing their challenges, resilience, aspirations and dreams. Jóvenes Adelante offers the hope of a new and better future; these young scholars offer the same to the community of San Miguel.

Don Krim is President Emeritus and Development Director for Jovenes Adelante. He previously served for 4 years as President. For more information about Jovenes Adelante, readers can go to jovenesadelante.org.

Jóvenes Adelante  provides scholarships and other essential support to young Mexican university students facing economic adversity so that they may acquire the academic and life skills necessary to foster positive social and economic change in their society. Since 2001 Jóvenes Adelante has helped nearly 200 students obtain university degrees. Our standards are high. Through a rigorous screening process – including two interviews, one with the applicant’s family – the brightest and most financially challenged students are identified and assessed. Successful applicants are funded for the entirety of their university studies (four or five years).