LES 2020 Winners

Rafael Bastos

Rafael has a strong passion for physics and will be attending Stanford University. He is a member and contributor to Mais Educação, an NGO that creates a network of people who have lead successful crowdfunding for education. He is active in his community, teaches physics to underserved high school students and publishes free online study materials geared towards astronomy Olympiads.

Giullia Jaques Caldeira

Giullia is in her first year at Babson College. In 2018, she attended a Latin American Leadership Bootcamp and was later selected to attend their first three-month program in Colombia. She is currently working full-time for LALA in their admissions team. In the past, she has been active in the Technovation Challenge Pitch, Mind The Gap, Brazilian Youth Parliament, and several Youth Ambassadors Programs.

Jonas do Nascimento Tavares

Jonas is currently living in Branson, Missouri where he studies at the College of the Ozarks. He is an ESL teacher at First Baptist Church and takes part in several volunteering activities at both his college and church, including visiting homeless shelters, distributing food and helping remodel local thrift stores. Next year, he plans to attend grad school and as well as prepare for the Itamaraty entry exam to become a diplomat for Brazil.

Giovani Carvalho Costa

Giovani studies chemical engineering at Dartmouth College. From 2015 to the present, he has been a scholarship recipient with ISMART (Instituto Social Para Motivar, Apoiar e Reconhecer Talentos) and was selected among 11,000 applicants. In addition to offering leadership consulting to other high school students, he is currently a private tutor who helps high school seniors prepare for standardized testing.

Sarah Aguiar Monteiro Borges

Sarah graduated high school in 2019 and has been admitted to several notable universities. She is an active volunteer with the Hospital Vila Sao Cottolengo, Partners of America and MedEnsina. As a STEM Para Minas member, she writes and designs social media posts while being responsible for expanding the outreach in Northern Brazil. Her personal interests include literature, theater and visual arts.

Living Expenses
Scholarship 2021/2022

LES Scholarship 2021 Timeline

1. Tuesday, February 23: Scholarship program to be inaugurated and disseminated
2. Tuesday, April 27: Deadline to submit completed online application
3. Tuesday, May 19: Finalist candidates to be announced
4. Tuesday, June 15: Deadline for finalists to submit their completed application and video
5. Tuesday, July 13: Winners to be announced

2021 Distribution

The Garcia Family Foundation – GFF – for Art, Culture, and Education is a US-based charitable foundation.   

Central to GFF’s mission is a strong belief that education should be accessible to everyone because it is the key ingredient to success in this world.  

GFF understands that affordability is a major hurdle to a first-class education and that no one should have to give up his or her education because of tuition amount or costs of living. GFF wishes to concentrate its help on living expenses as many universities and other foundations already provide scholarships for tuition.

In light of the ongoing pandemic, GFF recognizes there have been countless changes and sacrifices made for your education. Therefore in 2021, GFF will grant six (6), six thousand dollar ($6,000) Living Expenses Scholarships.

To be considered, eligible students must meet the below requirements before submitting an application:

1) a Brazilian National;
2) enrolled at a competitive United States University;
3) physically living in the United States; and
4) attending online or in-person courses.

The guidelines and timeline for the application process are as follows:

1. Six (6) scholarships of $6,000USD a year will be granted to assist students with their living expenses for the 2021-2020 academic year;

2. All fields of study are encouraged to apply;

3. Low-income students are especially encouraged to apply;

4. The Living Expenses Scholarship will not discriminate in any way concerning race, gender, religion or sexual orientation;

5. The Living Expenses Scholarship will be awarded to graduate and undergraduate students;

6. To apply, students must submit all of the following:
     – CV
     – Two most recent grade transcripts

7. Two essay submissions are required. Both responses must be written in English and between 250-300 words. The following question is mandatory for all applicants:

          A. Please explain how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted – and will continue to impact – your student life.

Additionally, please choose ONE of the following prompts:

          B. Forthcoming pandemics are inevitable and expected. Please tell us about a service or product idea that could be useful for the future.

          OR

          C. Tell us about a passion or hobby you developed during COVID-19 that you have incorporated into your life and include any ways it has added benefits to your community.

8. Once the applications have been received, GFF will notify applicants whether they have reached the second stage and advise on the process for the final decision.


Deadlines:

February 23: Scholarship program to be inaugurated and disseminated
April 27: Deadline to submit completed online application
May 19: Finalist candidates to be announced
June 15: Deadline for finalists to submit their completed application and video
July 13: Winners to be announced

Finally, GFF informs that:

  • Past recipients of the Living Expenses Scholarship are encouraged to reapply provided they have successfully fulfilled all previous requirements;
  • Students who were not granted with the Living Expenses Scholarship for 2020-2021 may apply again for this year’s installments;
  • Scholarship announcements and updates will be made through social media. By applying, all candidates automatically consent to our Terms and Data Policy.

We look forward to congratulating the students selected to receive the GFF Living Expenses Scholarship for 2021-2022.

We wish good luck to all applicants!

Renata and Claudio Garcia
GFF Presidents and Founders

Here are the finalists of the Living Expenses Scholarship 2021-2022

  • Ana Beatriz Campos Bonfim
  • Ana Paula Gushken
  • Beatriz da Silva Falcão
  • Dayanne Rolim Carvalho
  • Felipe Bandeira Ramos
  • Gabriel Manoel da Silva
  • Guilherme David Santos Silva
  • Iago Almeida Neves
  • Isabela Heloisa Azevedo Amorim
  • Jaqueline Gonçalves Borges Vieira
  • Jessica Vasconcelos Honorato
  • João Pedro Araújo de Medeiros
  • João Vitor Boechat Torres Botelho
  • Kaio Kumagai
  • Lucas Lelis Graciliano
  • Manoel Carlos Pereira Neto
  • Marcello Buffo
  • Maria Luísa Vieira Parada
  • Maria Vitória Moura Cabrera
  • Maycon Cesar de Paula Santos
  • Mirna Marques Loiferman
  • Nadine Lorini Formiga
  • Nathalia Pereira Bustamante Abreu
  • Richard Alexandre Araújo dos Santos
  • Yasmin Dianni Porto Barbosa

Now that you are a finalist, please send us the following:

  1. A two-paragraph essay or a video (2 minutes maximum) explaining how the living expense scholarship will impact your student life; and
  2. A one-paragraph response indicating your favorite quote and the reason why.
  3. Send both via e-mail to: contact@garciafamilyfoundation.org
  4. Please note the deadline to submit your completed applications is Tuesday, June 15.

Good Luck.