New Latinx Scholarships for Psychology & Counseling Undergrads

Palo Alto University (PAU), Northern California’s leading school of psychology and counseling, is pleased to announce a generous gift that enables the creation of ten scholarships of $10,000 each for Spanish speaking, Latinx undergraduate students in the University’s BS in Psychology and Social Action program. PAU is also contributing to these scholarships with institutional funding.

The Latinx Merit Scholarships, which will be allocated over two years, stem from a proposal submitted by the University’s Latinx Task Force. The scholarships are being funded by an anonymous donor family that shares PAU’s commitment to teaching, research and training opportunities for Spanish-speaking Latinx students in the fields of psychology and counseling. The donors are committed to serving low-income, first-generation college students as well as recruiting underrepresented members of the Latinx community.  

“We are so grateful to the donor family who is making these scholarship opportunities a reality, and to PAU’s Latinx Task Force, which is committed to creating pathways for Latinx and Spanish speaking mental health providers who are greatly needed in our communities. This extraordinary partnership will change the lives of 10 students, as well as those whose lives they will touch in Spanish-speaking communities in years to come.” 

The scholarships aim to strengthen the pipeline of Spanish-speaking students into professional positions that serve Spanish-speaking communities and individuals. Applicants are required to:

• Self-identify as Latinx and should choose the appropriate category on their application for admission. Latinx is a broad term that encompasses many identities, including Hispanic, Latino, Latina, Mexican-American, Latin American, Chicano, Chicana, Afro-Latino, etc.
• Speak Spanish with enough fluency to serve in a professional role that primarily serves Spanish-speaking clients
• Upon graduation, serve in a service role supporting Spanish-speaking clients or the Spanish-speaking community. Such positions could include a master’s or doctoral degree in counseling, psychology, or social work, or might also be roles such as teaching, non-profit work, or governmental positions

Interested students are asked to:

• Complete the online application for admission to PAU
• Complete the online Latinx Service Scholarship application. The scholarship application includes demographic questions and a short essay, which should be written in Spanish

About PAU’s Latinx Task Force

PAU’s Latinx Task Force was formed in 2017. Its goals are to: 

• Increase the number of Latinx students, staff, and faculty at PAU and to support them while at PAU
• Establish training opportunities and activities that will attract more Latinx students, staff and faculty to PAU
• Help improve the lives of Latinx locally, nationally, and beyond

About Palo Alto University

Palo Alto University (PAU), a private, non-profit university located in the heart of Northern California’s Silicon Valley, is dedicated to addressing pressing and emerging issues in the fields of psychology and counseling that meet the needs of today’s diverse society. PAU offers undergraduate and graduate programs that are led by faculty who make significant contributions to in their field. Online, hybrid and residential program options are available. PAU was founded in 1975 as the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology and re-incorporated as Palo Alto University in August 2009. PAU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).  PAU’s doctoral programs are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) and its master’s in counseling programs by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP).