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Luis Leal Endowed Scholarship (Scholarship Program)

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  • Program Terms: Academic Year, Calendar Year, Fall, May Term, Spring, Summer
  • Homepage: Click to visit
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Summer 2025 03/21/2025
** 		Rolling Admission TBA TBA
Fall 2025 03/21/2025
** 		Rolling Admission TBA TBA
Spring 2026 10/01/2025 10/01/2025 TBA TBA

** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be immediately notified of acceptance into this program and be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.

Indicates that deadline has passed
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Program Provider: IWU
Program Description:
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Program Overview

The World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department at Illinois Wesleyan University is able to offer Luis Leal Endowed scholarships to qualified Hispanic Studies majors and minors who participate in an IWU-approved study abroad program in a Spanish-speaking country and conduct an appropriate research project while abroad. Two awards are available annually for approximately $1000 and for $250, respectively, depending on the market value of the endowment. Students awarded scholarships commit to documenting and sharing their research during and/or after the off- campus experience.

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Luis Leal

This scholarship is named for Dr. Luis Leal, one of the foremost critics of Mexican, Chicano and Latin American Literature. He was born in Mexico to a modest family, but decided to further his education in the United States. He was always grateful for the institutional support he received.  Throughout his life, Dr. Leal realized his own individual intellectual potential and fostered that goal in others by living and teaching within a framework of social justice, global citizenship, and respect for diverse communities -- values that both the Department of Hispanic Studies and IWU carry in their mission statements and that the department honors with this award.

He was always a dedicated generous teacher, who made everybody feel included in his classes regardless of age, gender, abilities or background. Racial equality was extremely important to him and he committed to it in his personal and professional life. Along those lines, he is known for being among the first critics to teach Latin American and Chicano writers, both as part of the Spanish curriculum and as independent fields in their own right. In recognition of his founding role in the field of Latina/o Studies, he received the Distinguished Scholarly Award from the National Association of Chicano Studies.

Location

The award is open to students studying abroad on an IWU-approved program in a Spanish-speaking location.

Eligibility

  • Hispanic Studies major or minor
  • Enrolled full time
  • Studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country

For More Information

Scholarship Project

Students awarded a Luis Leal Endowed Scholarship commit to undertaking a research project while abroad and to documenting and sharing their work with the wider IWU community.  Students might do so by

  • Keeping a blog linked with the Hispanic Studies website
  • Creating digital stories, which can be posted on the ¿Qué pasa? blog of the Hispanic Studies website
  • Presenting in class or at some other university forum about their experience
  • Presenting a research paper in a public venue (ex., The John Wesley Powell Undergraduate Research Conference) on a Hispanic Studies topic written in Spanish

Creativity is encouraged.
 

Application & Award Information

Deadline

  • May 15 for fall, spring, summer, and academic year study abroad 

Application Materials

A complete Luis Leal Scholarship applications must include the following:

  • Application Form (online)
  • Essays: Discuss why you chose this program and how your participation aligns with the goals of the World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department. Also include a description of your scholarship project addressing how you propose to document and share your study abroad experience during and/or after participation. (~350 words)  .

Selection Criteria

The faculty of the World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department will evaluate all applications. Recipients will be selected of the basis of their academic record, financial need, and demonstrated value of the program to the students’ course of study.

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