The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation awarded the Sofia Carson Scholarship to vocalist and student Valentina García, 19, during a special performance with the artist in Miami. The Prodigy Scholarship (Sofia Carson Scholarship), created eight years ago to support music education and Latin music genres, has a maximum value of $200,000 and will allow Garcia to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Berklee College of Music in Boston beginning fall.
The Venezuelan was selected by the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee from a very competitive group of hundreds of applicants from around the world. Since its inception, the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation has allocated an extraordinary sum of more than $7.6 million dollars to scholarships, grants, musical instruments, and educational events throughout the United States and Latin America.
“Year after year, we are honored by the quantity and quality of applications we receive for our scholarships. It is inspiring to see the large number of young people committed to their vocation of becoming future creators of Latin music,” said **Manuel Abud**, CEO of The Latin Recording Academy®. “Since its inception and against all odds, our Foundation has been focused on awarding nearly a million dollars in scholarships each year, thanks to the generosity of artists like Sofia Carson, who continue to solidify the legacy of Latin music and preserve this program for future generations.
“It has been a privilege to witness the transformative mission of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation, changing lives through the power of music education,” said Sofia Carson, Global Ambassador for the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. “It is an honor for me to partner with my Foundation family to present Valentina with the Prodigy Scholarship. She is a bright and deserving young woman whose voice and talent blew us away. I hope that together we continue to amplify and elevate the powerful Latino voices in every corner of the world.”
“Together, Sofia Carson and the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation have changed my life for the better. I will always be grateful for their generosity and the doors they have opened,” Garcia said. “My career has just begun, and since I am a witness to the impact that the Foundation has had on the lives of Latin musicians around the world. And that is precisely the reason why I have decided to dedicate myself to music, so that through it I can help others and be a voice in favor of those most in need”.
The Foundation also announced the winners of the Talent Tuition Scholarships and Tuition Assistance Scholarships it awards annually, which will allow 43 talented students from diverse backgrounds to have the opportunity to study at some of the world’s most prestigious musical institutions.
Recipients of the Talent Scholarships for Enrollment:
Each of these three students will receive a Tuition Talent Scholarship, with a maximum value of $100,000 dollars over four years, for tuition at the university or institution of their choice:
Ferrán Rico, electric bassist from Spain.
Juan Camilo Doria, tenor saxophonist from Colombia.
Alejo Villareal, electric bass player from Argentina.
The $100,000 donation to Juan Camilo Doria, the Nader Art Museum Scholarship, was sponsored by Gary Nader, an international art collector, philanthropist and art gallery owner.
For more information about the institution and its initiatives, visit: www.latingrammyculturalfoundation.org
