Isla Mujeres Scholarship Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How are the students selected to become part of the program?
There are certain criteria to be met before a student can be accepted into the program.
In choosing which students, it has been by word of mouth, personal recommendation and somewhat, the determination of the mothers of these students in advocating for their children. It has been an informal process of selection, and has been limited by the number of students in the program. We have a maximum of 12-14 students at any given time.
What is the criteria for staying in the scholarship program?
Students have certain responsibilities once they are accepted into the scholarship program:
What happens if a student does not maintain a minimum B- GPA?
Students are given one semester to bring their grades back up, and are dropped from the program if they do not. With that said, there have been individual cases where sponsors have wanted to continue their support due to extreme circumstances. One particular student who received some leniency lived in a home with no electricity (or water) and was only able to study a short time evenings, by use of a car battery hooked to a lamp. He was able to finish high school, go to college and now has a great job, supporting his mother and brothers. A real success story!
What happens to the sponsorship funds already paid if a student quits school and leaves the program?
Any funds like this would be added to our general reserves, which are used for special circumstances or unexpected expenses our students might encounter. If a particular sponsor requests that their last payment be refunded, that is also an option.
If I become a sponsor when and how do I send the scholarship funds?
Sponsors become part of a team to support a particular student, and send funds to the captain of their team. Money can be sent monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or once a year. The team Captain collects from everyone on their team and forwards funds to Jana, earmarking them for their particular student. We do it this way because Jana would otherwise be receiving 50 to 80 deposits monthly. This also makes it easier to track each sponsor’s donations.
Can I claim paid scholarship money as a tax deduction?
This scholarship program is not a U.S. 501(c)(3). We are small, just supporting a handful of students. For this reason, there is no official tax deduction for this donation. Think of it as a gifting program. We are paying it forward and making Isla Mujeres better as a whole.
What if something happens and I can no longer participate?
If for whatever reason a sponsor needs to leave the program, we ask that the team captain, Jana and Maggie be notified as soon as possible. We will do what we can to find another sponsor so the student can continue to receive the same scholarship. This may be a case where some of the general funds are used until another sponsor is found.
What is the overhead for this program?
There is very little overhead. About 99% of funds donated to the program go directly to the students.
The only overhead expenses are banking transfer fees of $35 monthly. Administrators volunteer all of their time. Jana, Maggie and Jackie receive no compensation for their time.
How does college differ in Mexico and the US?
Most people don't realize that even though tuition is less expensive, there is the large expense at graduation for licensing etc. Depending on the field the cost of the license can vary, anywhere from $200 - $1,000. Every graduate who wants to practice what they studied needs to pay for a license. Exams also have fees associated with them.
There are no opportunities for student loans and very few kids from Isla are able to attend college. Many of our students are the first person in their family to graduate from high school and to go to university
Most Mexican university programs are strict four year programs. There is no stopping in the middle of it. If a student drops then later wants to complete the program they must start from the beginning. This is very different from the U.S. college system where many students take much longer than four years to complete their studies and receive a degree.
Who is Jana and what does she do?
Jana is our fearless bookkeeper, a recruiter of new sponsors, and shameless fundraiser. This program would collapse without her. She tracks all income to the program and makes sure it goes to the student it is intended for. She keeps an account of how much each student has in their account and speaks to students about additional funding needs, such as field trips, supplies and fees. She also keeps a running balance on the general fund and helps decide when it should be used for whatever extraordinary circumstances might arise for a student. Jana coordinates the annual Sirena Soiree Fundraiser party each March.
She does lots more. We are so blessed to have her!!
Who is Maggie and what does she do?
Maggie is the overall organizer and communications coordinator. She speaks enough Spanish to be in direct touch with the students and with Lupe. She is happy to translate any communications between students and sponsors. She helps decide who will be accepted into the program, and when/if it is time to let a student go, does the hard work of communicating this to the student. If a student has some unexpected medical emergency, she will help figure out if it makes sense to help financially, and how much it will be. She also reminds them to write their sponsors and send their grades in. Maggie lives on Isla 5 months each year (winters), so is there to coordinate the meetings between students and their families with the sponsors. She helps translate at these gatherings if asked. She also recruits new donors to the program and helps with the fundraising. Maggie coordinates and hosts the annual student family party. This scholarship program was a joint dream of hers and Lupe’s back in 2004, and has helped keep it alive since then!
Who is Jackie and what does she do?
Jackie built this website, helps with fundraisers, recruits new sponsors, promotes the program on various Isla social media sites and is an overall "Jack of all trades" for the program. Jackie coordinates, manages, executes the online fundraising auction. Jana and Maggie are so happy for all of Jackie's help. She is invaluable.
There are certain criteria to be met before a student can be accepted into the program.
- A grade average of at least 8. (This is the equivalent of a B- average. A grade of 9 to 10 is an A; a grade below 6 is failing.)
- There must be great need. Specifically, without this financial help, the student would not be able to continue their studies.
- We look for that something special in the student, a great motivation or determination to succeed against the odds.
- Students must be from Isla Mujeres. If they go to Valladolid or Merida to college, their parents must live on Isla so that they return to Isla for vacations, etc, and return when possible to meet with their sponsors. (If the whole family moves to the University town to support their student, they are no longer qualified to receive the scholarship.)
- Students must pledge that they have not and will not drink/smoke/do drugs while in the scholarship program. Students are expected to behave in a way that reflects well upon our program.
In choosing which students, it has been by word of mouth, personal recommendation and somewhat, the determination of the mothers of these students in advocating for their children. It has been an informal process of selection, and has been limited by the number of students in the program. We have a maximum of 12-14 students at any given time.
What is the criteria for staying in the scholarship program?
Students have certain responsibilities once they are accepted into the scholarship program:
- They must maintain the grade minimum described above.
- They must write to their sponsors monthly. Just a paragraph is sufficient, but we want to encourage that connection, and writing a personal email each month is the least they can do. If they do not write, their monthly stipend is withheld until they do write.
- They must pledge not to drink/smoke/do drugs while they are in the program. These are expensive habits and do not help with good academic success. No sponsor wants their funds going for any of this. However, if a student is 22 years old, an occasional beer will be tolerated. If we learn that a young student has abused this rule, they will be dropped from the program.
What happens if a student does not maintain a minimum B- GPA?
Students are given one semester to bring their grades back up, and are dropped from the program if they do not. With that said, there have been individual cases where sponsors have wanted to continue their support due to extreme circumstances. One particular student who received some leniency lived in a home with no electricity (or water) and was only able to study a short time evenings, by use of a car battery hooked to a lamp. He was able to finish high school, go to college and now has a great job, supporting his mother and brothers. A real success story!
What happens to the sponsorship funds already paid if a student quits school and leaves the program?
Any funds like this would be added to our general reserves, which are used for special circumstances or unexpected expenses our students might encounter. If a particular sponsor requests that their last payment be refunded, that is also an option.
If I become a sponsor when and how do I send the scholarship funds?
Sponsors become part of a team to support a particular student, and send funds to the captain of their team. Money can be sent monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or once a year. The team Captain collects from everyone on their team and forwards funds to Jana, earmarking them for their particular student. We do it this way because Jana would otherwise be receiving 50 to 80 deposits monthly. This also makes it easier to track each sponsor’s donations.
Can I claim paid scholarship money as a tax deduction?
This scholarship program is not a U.S. 501(c)(3). We are small, just supporting a handful of students. For this reason, there is no official tax deduction for this donation. Think of it as a gifting program. We are paying it forward and making Isla Mujeres better as a whole.
What if something happens and I can no longer participate?
If for whatever reason a sponsor needs to leave the program, we ask that the team captain, Jana and Maggie be notified as soon as possible. We will do what we can to find another sponsor so the student can continue to receive the same scholarship. This may be a case where some of the general funds are used until another sponsor is found.
What is the overhead for this program?
There is very little overhead. About 99% of funds donated to the program go directly to the students.
The only overhead expenses are banking transfer fees of $35 monthly. Administrators volunteer all of their time. Jana, Maggie and Jackie receive no compensation for their time.
How does college differ in Mexico and the US?
Most people don't realize that even though tuition is less expensive, there is the large expense at graduation for licensing etc. Depending on the field the cost of the license can vary, anywhere from $200 - $1,000. Every graduate who wants to practice what they studied needs to pay for a license. Exams also have fees associated with them.
There are no opportunities for student loans and very few kids from Isla are able to attend college. Many of our students are the first person in their family to graduate from high school and to go to university
Most Mexican university programs are strict four year programs. There is no stopping in the middle of it. If a student drops then later wants to complete the program they must start from the beginning. This is very different from the U.S. college system where many students take much longer than four years to complete their studies and receive a degree.
Who is Jana and what does she do?
Jana is our fearless bookkeeper, a recruiter of new sponsors, and shameless fundraiser. This program would collapse without her. She tracks all income to the program and makes sure it goes to the student it is intended for. She keeps an account of how much each student has in their account and speaks to students about additional funding needs, such as field trips, supplies and fees. She also keeps a running balance on the general fund and helps decide when it should be used for whatever extraordinary circumstances might arise for a student. Jana coordinates the annual Sirena Soiree Fundraiser party each March.
She does lots more. We are so blessed to have her!!
Who is Maggie and what does she do?
Maggie is the overall organizer and communications coordinator. She speaks enough Spanish to be in direct touch with the students and with Lupe. She is happy to translate any communications between students and sponsors. She helps decide who will be accepted into the program, and when/if it is time to let a student go, does the hard work of communicating this to the student. If a student has some unexpected medical emergency, she will help figure out if it makes sense to help financially, and how much it will be. She also reminds them to write their sponsors and send their grades in. Maggie lives on Isla 5 months each year (winters), so is there to coordinate the meetings between students and their families with the sponsors. She helps translate at these gatherings if asked. She also recruits new donors to the program and helps with the fundraising. Maggie coordinates and hosts the annual student family party. This scholarship program was a joint dream of hers and Lupe’s back in 2004, and has helped keep it alive since then!
Who is Jackie and what does she do?
Jackie built this website, helps with fundraisers, recruits new sponsors, promotes the program on various Isla social media sites and is an overall "Jack of all trades" for the program. Jackie coordinates, manages, executes the online fundraising auction. Jana and Maggie are so happy for all of Jackie's help. She is invaluable.