June 27, 2019

Chris de Hoyos

15th Annual ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program selection committee meet at HACU headquarters

The selection committee for the 15th Annual ¡Lánzate! / Take Off! Travel Program, offered by Southwest Airlines in conjunction with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, met at HACU headquarters in in San Antonio, Texas on June 27, 2019.  The meeting follows a 15th anniversary event held to celebrate the success of the program.

Through this national education initiative, Southwest Airlines awards roundtrip e-pass(es) to undergraduate and graduate students across the country who travel away from home to pursue a higher education. As in past years, hundreds of college students submitted applications and essays for the ¡Lánzate! Program. 2019 Awardees will be officially announced in the fall.

The 2019 selection committee members are:

  • Adriana Rios, grant program manager, National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC)
  • Alfred Ramirez, owner/principal consultant, Diverse Strategies
  • Allert Brown-Gort, Ph.D., director general / executive director, La Casa de la Universidad de California en México, A.C.
  • Allison M. Cotton, Ph.D., professor of criminology, Metropolitan State University of Denver
  • Cuauhtemoc Avila, Ed.D., superintendent, Rialto Unified School District
  • Elmer Donalson-Rogers, director of fund development, Houston Area Urban League
  • Frankie Miranda, senior vice president, Hispanic Federation
  • John Fraire, Ph.D., interim senior enrollment officer, Northeastern Illinois University
  • Lorena Blanco-Silva, program manager, division for equity and inclusion/Office of the Provost, University of New Mexico
  • Monalisa Vitela, senior director, ICOE-Alternative Education
  • Patricia Witherspoon, Ph.D., dean, College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at El Paso
  • Ricardo Negron-Almodovar, legal service coordinator, Latino Justice
  • Richard Montez, director of member services, HACU
  • Uriel Iñiguez, trustee, Eastern Washington University
  (Front row, third from left) Christine Ortega, senior advisor for international community affairs and grassroots at Southwest Airlines (front, fifth from left) HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores with selection committee members and past recipients of the ¡Lánzate! / Take Off! Travel Program during a 15th Anniversary event celebration held on June 26, 2019.

 



  

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain, and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, California.

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