The Figueroa Sisters Scholarship

Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa is an Afro-Boricua novelist, PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize 2010 Finalist, 2020 National Indie Excellence® Multicultural Fiction Award Winner, and a recipient of the 2021 Letras Boricuas Fellowship. Her novels include Daughters of the Stone, A
Woman of Endurance, and Indómita. The Figueroa Sisters Scholarship honors Llanos-Figueroa’s mother, Carmen Maria Figueroa, and Carmen’s sisters, Betty, Modesta, and Rosa Amelia. Established in 2022, The Figueroa Sisters Scholarship is meant to give voice to the stories from Puerto Rico or in the diaspora. To support and encourage youth who seek to add to the story from a small island that incorporates a rich diversity of experience which needs to be reflected in literature. Open to graduating high school
seniors and undergraduate or graduate students majoring in creative writing or literature.
The 500-word biographical sketch should include goals, dreams, career objectives, and information about the family. Any obstacles/challenges encountered as a single mother and how they have been resolved. List any volunteer community work done with
responsibilities that involved the Puerto Rican community/Latino community (i.e., voter registration, census drives, neighborhood clean-up, mentoring, tutoring, youth groups, etc.
• Letters of recommendation should be requested from professors, counselors, mentors, clergy, community leaders, etc. The letters should highlight any challenges the candidate has experienced and overcome to continue their education, does the candidate do volunteer work/community service, how long has the person known the candidate, and the specific contributions the applicant has made to the community.
• Application package must be received by email by deadline date provided
• Application package emailed after deadline date provided will be disqualified.
• A mandatory personal interview will be conducted by the scholarship committee
• Finalist will be notified within two- weeks
• Finalist will not be considered if he/she does not show-up for interview. Other arrangements will be made for finalist away at college.
• Recipients of The Josefina Aguado Scholarship for Single Parents will be notified with a week after personal interview
• Recipients of The Josefina Aguado Scholarship for Single Parents will be disqualified
should any of the following conditions occur:
o (1) recipient provides false information on the application;
o (2) recipient is not enrolled in an accredited college or university by the fall or at the time if the award
o (3) recipient is not of Puerto Rican descent.
• Scholarship payment will be made by Comité Noviembre upon the recipient of official college registration or Bursar’s Office documentation.

For more information contact:
Lisa M. Rodriguez
Co-Chair
Comité Noviembre Scholarship Selection Committee
(347) 693-6893, cn.scholarship@gmail.com