Ana Maria F. Parent Scholarship
The Ana Maria F. Parent Endowed Scholarship was created in 2015 by Dr. Joseph Laurenti. Ana was born May 10, 1944 in Havana, Cuba. She came to the United States in 1962 as an 18-year-old participant in a program called Operation Pedro Pan (Peter Pan), an initiative led by the Catholic Church to spare children of the ideological indoctrination of the new communist government in Cuba. Her parents came to the United States four years later. The scholarship is awarded to a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in good standing at Illinois State University majoring in Spanish in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Applicants must have completed or be enrolled in at least two courses in the Spanish language major and complete an application form that includes a statement addressing the student's interest in Spanish, career goals, and volunteer activities/community service. The Scholarship will help to preserve Ana Parent's memory and legacy.