The Foundation also awarded an additional 43 scholarships to music students worldwide
MIAMI (AUGUST 11, 2022) — The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® awarded the Sofia Carson Scholarship to 19-year-old vocalist and student Valentina García during
a special presentation with the artist in Miami. The Prodigy
Scholarship (Sofia Carson Scholarship) — created eight years ago to
support music education and the Latin music genres — holds a maximum
value of $200,000 and allows García to pursue a bachelor's degree at
Berklee College of Music in Boston, starting this fall.
The Venezuelan native was selected by the Foundation's Scholarship
Committee from a highly competitive group of hundreds of applicants
worldwide. Since its establishment, the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation
has committed an extraordinary sum of more than $7.6 million in
scholarships, grants, musical instruments, and educational events
throughout the United States and Ibero-America.
“Year after year, we are humbled and inspired by the sheer volume and
quality of scholarship entries from future Latin music creators
committed to pursuing their dreams,” said Manuel Abud, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy®.
“Since its inception and against adversities, our Foundation has been
focused on awarding nearly $1 million in scholarships each year, thanks
to the generosity of artists such as Sofia Carson, who continues to
solidify the legacy of Latin music and preserve this program for future
generations.”
“It has been my privilege to witness the Latin GRAMMY Cultural
Foundation’s transformational mission, changing lives through the power
of music education,” said Sofia Carson, Global
Ambassador of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. “It is my honor to
partner with my Foundation family to present Valentina with the Prodigy
Scholarship. She is an ever-deserving, brilliant young woman whose voice
and talent awed us. Together, may we continue to amplify and lift
powerful Latin voices, in every corner of our world.”
“Together, Sofia Carson and the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation have
changed my life for the better. I am forever grateful for their
generosity and the doors they have opened,” said García. “My journey is
only beginning, as I bear witness to the impact the Foundation has made
on the lives of Latin musicians around the world, I am determined to pay
it forward and be a voice for those who are most in need.”
The Foundation also announced the recipients of its annual Gifted
Tuition Scholarships and Tuition Assistance Scholarships, that will
allow 43 talented students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to
pursue an education at some of the most prestigious musical institutions
in the world.
Gifted Tuition Scholarship Recipients:
The following three students will each receive the Gifted Tuition
Scholarship, with a maximum value of $100,000, which will support the
tuition costs of four years of study at the university or college of
their choice are:
- Ferran Rico, electric bassist from Spain
- Juan Camilo Doria, tenor saxophonist from Colombia
- Alejo Villareal, electric bassist from Argentina
Tuition Assistance Scholarship Recipients:
In addition, the following 40 students will each receive the Tuition Assistance Scholarship, a one-time scholarship with a maximum value of $10,000 toward the tuition costs for the university or college of their choice:
| Recipient | Country of Origin | Principal Instrument | College/University |
| Stephanie Acosta | Colombia | Voice | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Cintia Aguilar | Venezuela | Voice | Longy School of Music of Bard College, Boston |
| Luis Anselmi | Venezuela | Cuatro Venezolano | Humber College, Canada |
| Cobe Isai Banda Salcido |
Mexico | Guitar | Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico |
| Rafael Beck d'Avila Mello |
Brazil | Flute | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Joaquin Bonilla | Ecuador | Flute | Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University |
| Gabriel Braga | Brazil | Trombone | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Sebastian Castillo | Panama | Piano | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Nicolas Castro Granados | Colombia | Saxophone | Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla y León, Salamanca, Spain |
| Lorenzo Curik | Argentina | Drum Set | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Arthur de Souza Lima Scarpini |
Brazil | Guitar | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Abner Felipe Dos Santos Martins | Brazil | Guitar | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Marien Femerling Garcia | Mexico | Piano | Manhattan School of Music, New York |
| Jhoely Garay | Mexico | Guitar | Manhattan School of Music, New York |
| Francisco Garrido | Venezuela | Guitar | Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Andres Guerra | Venezuela | Guitar | The New School, New York |
| Maximiliano Jaime | Colombia | Drum Set | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Damian Kompel | Argentina | Clarinet | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Marina Marchi Silveira | Brazil | Voice | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Sebastián Mariño | Puerto Rico | Saxophone | Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico |
| Simon Martinez | Ecuador | Piano | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Octavio Mujica | United States | Cello | San Francisco Conservatory of Music |
| Marcelo Murillo | United States | Drum Set | University of Oregon |
| Andrés Nali | Venezuela | Percussion | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Gabriel Nieves | Mexico | Flute | Conservatorio de las Rosas, Mexico |
| Rafael Nocedo Gonzalez | Cuba | Piano | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Daniel Olivero | Venezuela | Voice | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Andrés Felipe Palacios Rodas | Colombia | Guitar | Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University, Baltimore |
| João Vítor Aredes Martins Paulo | Brazil | Drum Set | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Kalebe Requena | Brazil | Trumpet | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Oscar Rojas | Mexico | Piano | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Isaac Romagosa | Spain | Guitar | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Orlando Salazar | Venezuela | Oboe | Longy School of Music of Bard College, Boston |
| Juan Sebastian Sanchez | Colombia | Percussion | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Joao Semedo | Portugal | Vibraphone | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Kristalis Sotomayor | Puerto Rico | Flute | Boston Conservatory, Boston |
| Gustavo Tenes | Brazil | Electric Bass | Faculdade e Conservatório Souza Lima, Brazil |
| Ángela Varo Moreno | Spain | Violin | Berklee College of Music, Boston |
| Ayin Villagra-Brown | Chile | Piano | The New School, New York |
| Marcus Vinicius de Oliveira Figueiredo da Silva | Brazil | Double Bass | Royal Northern College of Music, England |
ABOUT THE LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION:
The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by The Latin Recording Academy® in 2014 to further international awareness and appreciation of the significant contributions of Latin music and its makers to the world’s culture. The Foundation provides college scholarships, educational programs and grants for the research and preservation of its rich musical legacy and heritage, and to date has donated more than $7.6 million with the support of The Latin Recording Academy’s members, artists, corporate sponsors and other generous donors. For additional information, or to make a donation, please visit latingrammyculturalfoundation.org, Amazon Smile or our Facebook page. And follow us @latingrammyfdn on Twitter and Instagram, and at Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation on Facebook.
ABOUT SOFIA CARSON:
Sofia Carson is a force of nature, rising to the top of all she endeavors with grace and style in the world of entertainment. She has forged a singular path in music, film, television and philanthropy. Carson currently stars as Cassie in the smash hit Netflix film Purple Hearts. She also serves as Executive Producer and co-wrote and performed the film’s original soundtrack. Purple Hearts was the #1 film globally on Netflix with over 150 million hours viewed in its first 10 days of release. Carson is a multi-platinum, award-nominated singer and songwriter. She’s garnered over 2 billion streams, over 8 billion total music consumption to date, and reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200. She recently released her self-titled debut album, Sofia Carson. The magnetic pop album, via Hollywood Records, tells a story about a girl who falls in love, only to be shattered into pieces, but nonetheless, survives. This year, she performs the song “Applause” from the upcoming film Tell It Like A Woman written by the legendary Academy Award nominee Diane Warren. As an actress, she has starred in Netflix’s Feel The Beat, Michael Bay’s Songbird, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists and Disney’s global phenomenon Descendants. As a philanthropist, she stands out as UNICEF’s US Ambassador. She is dedicated to using her voice to engage the youth across the U.S. to relentlessly pursue an equitable world for every child through the lifesaving force of education. Carson is the first female Global Ambassador for the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation®.
