35 students split $3.7M in financial aid to study at Berklee College of Music
A total of 35 students who participated in the 28th edition of the Berklee in Puerto Rico program received $3.7 million in total financial aid to move on to study at the Berklee College of Music, organizers announced.
The awards were bestowed during a ceremony held last week at the Julio César Ortiz García Theater of the Antonio Paoli Free School of Music in Caguas. The music education program is produced by Make Music Happen, a nonprofit organization.
Seven students each received a scholarship worth $6,000 to participate in Berklee’s Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance Intensive summer program in June next year. They are Mía Cruz-Rodríguez, Juliette Mercado, Logan Lilly Rivera-Rosario, Valeria Morales-Quiñones, Kenneth Merced-Fuentes, Luis Yessica Pizarro-Fargas and Carlos Alberto Medina-López.
Three students received a four-year financial aid package worth $20,000 annually to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music. They are Emily Figueroa, Amanda Hernández Soto and Lucia Jirau.
Another two students each received financial aid for a bachelor’s degree at Berklee valued at $25,000 for four years. They are Ángel Figueroa-Ojeda and Francisco Castillo-Miranda.
Ten students were each granted a four-year financial aid package worth $30,000 annually for their bachelor’s degree at Berklee. They are Adrián Alvarado, Gabriel López-Pérez, Manuel Pagán-Pérez, Sofía Ramos-Rodríguez, Luis Morales-Peña, Jaimaris Vélez-Medina, Joseph Vázquez-Rivera, Joaquín del Río-Defilló, Omar Becerril-Berríos and Angelina Ortiz.
Six students each received scholarships with an annual value of $35,000 for four years to pursue a bachelor’s degree. They are Diego Díaz-Del Valle, Adriel Martínez-Polanco, Caleb Meléndez-Molina, Roberto Peña, Desirée Moya-Derkoyorikian and Francisco Arenas.
Lastly, six students received full scholarships worth $50,000 annually for four years each. They are Ricardo Baralt, Ricardo Delgado-Jaime, Liam Rivera, Roig Alexis Berrios, Yelipsi Tirado-Morales and Joseph Montalvo-De Jesús.
“The collaboration with the Municipality of Caguas and the celebration of these events in its different facilities has brought us closer to young people from different regions of Puerto Rico,” said Héctor I. Rosa, a member of the Make Music Happen board of directors.
“We have the participation of students from municipalities such as Hatillo, San Juan, Yauco, as well as Ceiba, Toa Alta, Humacao, San Sebastián, Ponce, among others. We have reached talent from all over the island,” he added.
