Program Overview

The Lydia Mendoza Graduate Fellowship Program is an initiative by The CUNY Mexican Studies Institute in partnership with CFE International.  We aim to award fellowships to highly motivated students. The fellowship program is intended to help current and future community leaders to advance their educational goals. Recipients will work closely with the Institute staff and community-based organizations to advance the Mexican and/or immigrant community. Criteria for selection are academic excellence, financial need, and commitment to service in the immigrant and/or Mexican community in New York, without consideration of immigration status.

Award Amount

Up to $15,000 to graduate students for one academic year.

The Lydia Mendoza Graduate Fellowship features:

• A series of professional development workshops.
• Access to prominent CUNY alumni, faculty, and staff.
• Special invitations to exclusive events throughout the year.
• Opportunity to be a part of our Mentorship Program.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be enrolled this Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 in a Master's Degree program program at any CUNY campus. 
• Must be enrolled full-time both semesters. 
• Must demonstrate significant financial need.
• Open regardless of immigration status or nationality. 
• Openness to share experiences and accomplishments to inspire other students.
• Demonstrated commitment to the Mexican and/or immigrant community. 
  

Conditions of the fellowship for applicants:

Failure to comply with the following conditions may result in the suspension or revocation of fellowship award and future eligibility.

• Students are expected to maintain a full-time status.  This status is defined by their graduate degree program to fulfill the criteria of full-time. 
• Remain in good academic standing and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0;
• Must take a course in either Mexican Migration and or Spanish Language at their home campus (course may have been taken in previous semesters prior to receiving scholarship);
• Complete 200-hour internship in an affiliated nonprofit organization or partner institution.  

Special Features: 

• A series of leadership workshops.
• Opportunity to participate in a 200-hour internship in an affiliated nonprofit organization.
• Special invitations to exclusive events throughout the year.
• Access to a one year long Mentorship Program
• Pay it forward by hosting one Lydia Mendoza Graduate Fellowship Promotional workshop.
• Opportunity to write a blog post about your experience, to be featured on the Institute’s website and in newsletters.
• Access to prominent CUNY alumni, faculty, and staff.
• Awardees may re-apply the next academic year. 

How to Apply:

• Submit online application;
• Upload required documents:
  - Most recent transcript (unofficial transcripts are accepted)
  - One essay, 1000-word max (see below for details)
  - Resume (pdf format)
  - Recommendation Letter (pdf format) 
• List your recommender on your application;
• Contact your recommender to submit your recommendation letter (link can be
  found below);
• Submit your completed application for review (expect an automatic confirmation email after successfully submitting your application).We encourage you to start your online application as soon as possible. You will be able to save your application and continue later. Late applications will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
  
  

Important Dates

• December 18th, 2024: Application Opens!
• February 28, 2025: 11:59PM. EST- Application Closes.
• March 10, 2025: 11:59PM. EST - Recommendation Letter Deadline.
• April - May 2025 - Application review.
• Mid May - Semifinalists Group Interview.
• Early June - Awardees Notified.

APPLY HERE

ONLINE RECOMMENDATION FORM

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Your essay of 1000-words must be written using the following prompt:

Provide a Personal Statement that conveys the applicants’ motivation for acquiring a graduate degree in their field and how The Lydia Mendoza Fellowship will help them achieve their goals. The applicants should also convey what economic factors are limiting them from pursuing their educational and professional aspirations. Finally, the applicants should convey how they will serve as active participants in the betterment of the conditions of the Mexican community in the United States. This essay should not exceed 1000 words.

One Recommendation letter

Your recommendation letter will be submitted electronically by your recommender. A recommendation letter may be written from someone who knows you well and has served in one of these roles for you: a teacher, counselor, mentor, coach, employer, community leader, or religious leader. Your reference must be at least 21 years of age and must not be related to you. Recommenders will be notified by email by the applicant. Recommendations must submit their letter online on or before March 10, 2025 11:59PM EST.

Updated Resume

Upload the most recent version in pdf format.

Transcript

Unofficial transcripts are accepted in application.

No.  You do not have to be currently enrolled in CUNY, but you must be enrolled by Fall 2025 & Spring 2026.

No, the scholarship is open to people of any nationality.

No, many of our scholarship recipients are undocumented and many are DACA recipients. DACA is not required for eligibility. The committee does not discriminate based on immigration status.

No, scholarship winners may enroll in any of the 25 CUNY campuses.

You will receive an automatic confirmation email that your application has been received and that we have all the supporting materials. 

All applicants will be notified via email if they have been awarded a fellowship. Make sure to provide an email that you consistently check.

An independent committee reviews the applicants and selects the recipients based on the fellowship criteria.

The independent selection committee using a ranking system assigns points for each section in the application. Those earning the highest points are considered for the Fellowship. If you did not fall among those ranking the highest, you cannot be considered for the Fellowship.

Please schedule the interview as soon as possible.  Notification of a scheduled interview is not a guarantee of the fellowship.

The current high demand for the fellowship does not allow for us to hold the award. If you cannot take the award this academic year, you may decline and you may reapply in the future.

The funds will be disbursed to the awardee in two equal installments to cover the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters.

Yes, while the award funding will cover most or all of your tuition for one year, it may also be used to cover student fees, transportation, books, or other expenses.

Yes, you can apply to be considered for the fellowship but priority will be given to instate students who have limited access to financial aid.

Our vision is to provide our students with opportunities to gain professional experience and create networks.  If you believe that you are not able to commit to an internship program, this might not be the right opportunity for you.  Our staff is always open to work on a 1 on 1 basis to create a plan.

If selected for the scholarship you will have to apply for a full time status waiver. The purpose of the waiver is to request consideration to be able to continue with the program when the student cannot enroll full-time. There is no guarantee of a waiver and decisions will be made on a case by case basis. Except for those granted a waiver, all recipients must maintain full time enrollment status to receive the award.

Failure to comply with the following conditions may result in the suspension or revocation of fellowship award and future eligibility: Full-time enrollment at a CUNY school, participation in monthly seminars, completion of a 200-hour internship in an affiliated nonprofit institution, continuous involvement with the Institute and recipient's network in events and activities. There is a midyear evaluation in which students’ progress on completion of the requirements is measured.

Immediately contact us with the updated name of your new recommender.

If a recommender declines to write a letter on your behalf (it happens for many reasons), do not be disappointed or discouraged. Sit down and consider who would be willing to write a letter for you. You should have two to three people who you can reach out to and ask in the case that your primary one declines.

Your recommender will have to upload their letter online. You can share this link with them:

https://mexicanstudies.formstack.com/forms/recommenderlmendoza25

No. Applicants may submit an unofficial transcript. 

Program Overview
The Gloria E. Anzaldúa Binational Fellowship Program is an initiative by The CUNY Mexican Studies Institute in partnership with CFE International, the Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, the Universidad Iberoamericana Torreón, the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente.  The mission of this program is to play a crucial role in understanding and addressing the complex binational problems between the United States and Mexico, particularly in the areas of energy, human rights, and the environment. In the energy context, collaboration between the two countries is essential to ensure a stable and sustainable supply, while socio-territorial research provides a detailed overview of the challenges and opportunities in this field.  Regarding human rights, analytical perspectives coming from  the complexity of migrant rights, labor rights, migratory processes, and/or socio-territorial studies  are particularly fitting for the challenges of the border relationship and the dynamics of displacement and insertion, and, by extension, for the construction of more equitable societies based on respect for the dignity and rights of migrants and receiving communities. Finally, in environmental matters, binational collaboration based on socio-territorial studies is essential to address transboundary problems, such as pollution and the sustainable management of natural resources in the context of the challenges posed by climate change trends. In summary, socio-territorial frameworks are indispensable tools for building bridges of understanding and cooperation between the United States and Mexico, effectively addressing issues that are critical to both nations. 
 
Award Amount
Up to $26,000 to CUNY Master’s degree students to cover two years of tuition, plus a $500 stipend each semester for research purposes.
 
The Gloria E. Anzaldúa Binational Fellowship features:

• A series of seminars taught by faculty from both U.S. and Mexican universities;
• Opportunity for collaboration with graduate students from Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, the Universidad Iberoamericana Torreón, the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente;
• Access to prominent CUNY alumni, faculty, and staff;
• Individual Mentorship.
         

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be accepted in any Master’s degree program at ANY CUNY campus;
• Scholarly interests should align with the binational framework described in the Program Overview;
• Fall 2024 must be the first semester of enrollment, aiming to conclude in Spring 2026;
• Must be enrolled full-time all semesters;
• Must demonstrate significant financial need;
• Open regardless of immigration status & nationality;
• Openness to share experiences and accomplishments to inspire other students.

Demonstrated commitment to the Mexican and/or immigrant community. 
 
Master’s degree programs criteria:
Applicants are to be enrolled in any Master’s degree program offered at a CUNY campus including but not limited to the following: Human Rights, Digital Humanities, Earth & Environmental Science, International Migration Studies, Journalism/Journalism in Spanish with a focus on International Reporting, Labor Studies, Liberal Studies with a focus on a topic related to the program overview above (Mexico-U.S.), Media Studies, Political Science with a focus on International Relations/Affairs, Comparative Politics, Globalization, Urban Studies, Civil Engineering, Environmental Structure Transportation, Electrical Engineering.
 
Conditions of the fellowship for applicants:
Failure to comply with the following conditions may result in the suspension or revocation of fellowship award and future eligibility. Students who are awarded the fellowship will be expected to:

• Maintain a full-time status.  This status is defined by their degree program to fulfill the criteria of full-time;
• Remain in good academic standing and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0;
• Participate in a monthly Seminar on Binational Topics;
• Student’s conducted research should  align with the overview description of the program.         

How to Apply:

• Submit online application;
•  Upload required documents:
  - Most recent transcript (unofficial transcripts are accepted)
  - One essay, 1000-word max (see below for details) 
           - Resume (pdf format)
           - 1 Recommendation Letter (pdf format) 
• List your recommender on your application;
• Contact your recommender to submit your recommendation letter (link can be
  found below);
• Submit your completed application for review (expect an automatic confirmation email after successfully submitting your application).

We encourage you to start your online application as soon as possible. You will be able to save your application and continue later. Late applications will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Important Dates:

• July 9th, 2024: Application Opens!

• August 25th, 2024: 11:59PM. EST- Application Closes.

• August 25th, 2024: 11:59PM. EST- Recommendation Letter Deadline.
• First week of September 2024: Semifinalists Interview
• First week of September 2024: Awardees Notified.

APPLY HERE

ONLINE RECOMMENDATION FORM
 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Your essay of 1000-words must be written using the following prompt:

Provide a Personal Statement that conveys the applicants’ motivation for acquiring a master’s degree in their field and how The Gloria E. Anzaldúa Fellowship will help them achieve their goals. The applicants should also convey what economic factors are limiting them from pursuing their educational and professional aspirations. Finally, the applicants should convey how their field of study relates to understanding and resolving the complex binational problems between the United States and Mexico, particularly in the areas of energy, human rights, and the environment. This essay should not exceed 1000 words.

One Recommendation letter

Your recommendation letter will be submitted electronically by your recommender. A recommendation letter may be written from someone who knows you well and has served in one of these roles for you: a teacher, counselor, mentor, coach, employer, community leader, or religious leader. Your reference must be at least 21 years of age and must not be related to you. Recommenders will be notified by email by the applicant. Recommendations must submit their letter online on or before August 6th, 2024 11:59PM EST.

 
Updated Resume

Upload the most recent version in pdf format.
 

Transcript

Unofficial transcripts are accepted in application.