Aug. 31, 2023
AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward’s University has received a $50,000 grant from The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin (HBAA) to establish The HBAA Endowed Scholarship. The endowment will provide future financial support opportunities for Hispanic students who plan to take on their world through law and public service, especially those who are the first in their families to attend college.
Our new HBAA gift will support scholarships offering aid to Pre-Law Advising Program students who are in junior or senior class standing and demonstrate a need for financial assistance, with preference for first-generation scholars. HBAA members will also serve as mentors to our scholars to help them navigate their educational journey toward a legal profession.
“The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin Endowed Scholarship is part of our university’s larger strategic efforts to serve our first-generation Hispanic students by providing funded experiential learning opportunities that will position them for undergraduate and postgraduate success,” said St. Edward’s University President Montserrat Fuentes, Ph.D.
HBAA established a partnership with St. Edward’s in 2018 — the foundation awarded a $50,000 scholarship to the university, which directly benefited Hispanic pre-law students over a five-year period. Since then, 35 hilltoppers have received mentorship and financial assistance and 19 of the university’s HBAA scholars are currently attending law school, graduate school or are working full-time in related professional fields.
Mia Garza '24, HBAA Scholar; Jesse Butler '99, HBAA member and former university Trustee; university president Montserrat Fuentes; Anthony Arguijo, Chair of the HBAA Charitable Foundation; Adrianne Waddell, President of the HBAA; and Daniel Guzman '24, HBAA Scholar.
About St. Edward’s University
St. Edward’s University is a private university in the Catholic, Holy Cross tradition with approximately 3,600 students. Located in Austin, Texas, it is one of the top universities in the state and offers more than 55 undergraduate and 8 graduate programs. St. Edward’s delivers a premier, highly personalized education that provides students distinctive academics and extensive internships, research and service learning opportunities on a vibrant and inclusive hilltop campus in a world-class city. St. Edward’s has been recognized for 20 consecutive years as one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report. In the 2022-2023 Best Colleges rankings, St. Edward’s remains in the list of top 10 Best Regional Universities in the West for the 4th consecutive year.
About The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin
The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin is a nonprofit professional organization for attorneys. Its mission is to enhance the Latinx community in Central Texas by fostering the engagement of the Hispanic-American legal professional community in civic, professional, social, educational, charitable, governmental, and non-partisan political issues.
Photos by Tomas Segura