Young people will pursue their studies at INTEC thanks to scholarships from the Alexandra Grullón Academic and Cultural Fund.

SANTO DOMINGO. With the goal of providing training opportunities and strengthening cultural projects for the most disadvantaged, especially the victims of the Jet Set tragedy of April 8, the Alexandra Grullón Academic and Cultural Fund was formally launched in an event that included the signing of the first collaboration agreements with academic and cultural institutions in our country. 

The Fund will be chaired by Ms. Melba Segura de Grullón and has a board of directors composed of prominent figures such as Dr. Milton Ray Guevara, Dr. Servio Tulio Castaños, Fernando Hasbún, and Ariel Ramos, among others.

The event was attended by Vice President Raquel Peña; Eduardo Estrella, Minister of Public Works, and his wife Arelis de Estrella; the parents of Alexandra's late husband, Eduardo Guarionex Estrella; Joel Santos, Minister of Energy and Mines; Carolina Mejía, Mayor of Santo Domingo; Mayra Jiménez, Minister of Women's Affairs; former Vice President Margarita Cedeño; Odile Camilo, President of the Association of University Rectors (ADRU); and rectors and representatives of 14 high-level academic centers in the country, including: PUCMM, INTEC, UFHEC, ISA, UNIBE, UCATECI, UCATEBA, UTESA, UNEFA, UNIREMHOS, CHAVON, UNPHU, and APEC.

 Thanks to the initial collaboration of the Supérate Social Development Directorate, the Fund announced the first cohort of scholarships, which will benefit 14 university students who are survivors or family members of victims of the tragedy, at the universities of UAPA, INTEC, ITLA, UNPHU, UNICARIBE, O&M, and UASD. Additionally, three candidates are in the process of registering and will be incorporated into the cohort once they have formalized their admission to the academic institutions of their choice.

 In presenting the institutional characteristics of the Fund, Dr. Servio Tulio Castaños, a member of its Board of Directors, acknowledged the willingness of several universities that, on their own initiative, offered additional facilities and scholarships for their students affected by the tragedy. He also explained that in this initial phase, the immediate goal is to award up to 15 scholarships per university, regardless of the program or location.

 It was also announced that the Fund will continue to pay special attention to the highly vulnerable population of minors, who will also benefit from scholarships for their studies, thus consolidating comprehensive support for education and human development in the country.

 With this launch, the Alexandra Grullón Academic and Cultural Fund establishes itself as a platform of hope and solidarity that seeks to open paths to learning, creativity, and strengthening the social and cultural capital of the Dominican Republic.