News Release

2 University of Houston students receive Hogg Foundation Bilingual Scholarship

Funds support full tuition to Graduate College of Social Work

Grant and Award Announcement

University of Houston

Victoria Reyes, University of Houston

image: This is 2012 Hogg Foundation Bilingual Scholar Victoria Reyes. view more 

Credit: Courtesy of University of Houston

University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (UH GCSW) first-year students Emilio Herrera and Victoria Reyes received full scholarships by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to support bilingual mental health services in Texas.

The award covers full tuition and fees for new bilingual students entering graduate social work programs. Recipients must be fluent in English and a second language chosen by the graduate program. Both Herrera and Reyes are fluent in Spanish. In return, the students agree to work a minimum of two years in their field in the state of Texas after graduation from the master's degree in social work.

"University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work is grateful for the Hogg Foundation bilingual scholarship because it attracts high-quality students, promotes academic diversity and increases the state's mental health workforce," said Ira Colby, dean of the UH GCSW.

Herrera has extensive experience working with the Hispanic community as a case manager for Communities In Schools and at The Beacon, a nonprofit organization that provides social and health services to homeless people in the Houston area. "As a bilingual and bicultural individual, I am passionate about serving the Hispanic community and continuing to provide services to this underserved population," Herrera said.

Reyes is bilingual and bicultural with extensive work experience in the Hispanic community. She worked at the Tejano Center for Community Concerns as a child-placement caseworker. As a full-time student in the clinical practice concentration, she will specialize in the UH GCSW's trabajo social specialization certificate program, which focuses on working in Latino communities. "With a master's degree in social work, I can better serve the Hispanic community and provide much-needed services where there are critical shortages," Reyes said.

Research shows people who speak a language other than English are underrepresented in social work and other mental health professions in Texas and the United States. As a result, they are less likely to receive effective mental health services.

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The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg, and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. For more information about the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, please visit http://www.hogg.utexas.edu/index.php


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