Colombian design student, Daniela Rodriguez Mazo received a scholarship from the U.S. charity, the Walter Diez Molina Foundation, and will have her tuition fees paid for her remaining nine semesters.
Mazo, who is in her third semester at Medellin’s Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB), is the first recipient of the scholarship, and was chosen for her “excellent grade average and proven record of dedication to her field of study.”
The Walter Diez Molina Foundation was founded in 2008 and is named after a young Colombian design student who, having just one semester to go before realizing his dream, was gunned down in a random robbery on July 7, 2007.
The organization’s co-founder, Tim Harris, says that the foundation will award one scholarship per year initially, but hopes to improve on this as more support is garnered from U.S. companies doing business in Colombia.
“We strongly believe Medellin, and all of Colombia, is about to enter a new phase of world attention focused onto its design and fashion industries. It is in this context we are excited to offer scholarships that allow students to study and learn in such an exciting environment,” Harris said.
The foundation is currently seeking support in a vote-based system of receiving a financial grant through the Chase Community Giving program. See the foundation’s website for more information.