Please Give to Emergency Scholarship Fund for Students Affected by Hurricanes

Dear Alumni and Friends:

Georgia Tech’s international student community dates back to 1895, when the first students enrolled from Puerto Rico, then part of the Spanish empire. Since then, Yellow Jackets from the Caribbean and Latin America have enriched our campus and become an integral part of the Tech legacy.

Now, our students from the Caribbean are challenged by the after-effects of two major hurricanes. With no electricity, disrupted communications, and massive fuel shortages, businesses are expected to remain closed for months to come. Because of this, many of our students’ families will face severe, unforeseen financial hardships. Currently, there are 62 students from Puerto Rico and two from the U.S. Virgin Islands enrolled at Georgia Tech. 

To ensure that these students will be able to stay enrolled at the Institute in the face of these circumstances, we are organizing an emergency scholarship fund. Students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands whose families have been affected by the hurricanes may apply for temporary support through this fund. Criteria will be determined by the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid in accordance with financial aid guidelines, and priority will be given to students who are farthest along in the pursuit of their degrees.

For a small number of Tech students from non-U.S. islands impacted by the hurricanes, there is an existing fund — the Latin-American Student Support Endowment — that can provide support. Students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, however, are not eligible for assistance from that fund.

Our first priority is to secure sufficient funding to assist these students, allowing them to complete their Georgia Tech courses of study. We are seeking an expendable fund of a minimum of $1 million for this purpose. Once the students have been helped through this crisis, any remaining funds will be allocated to a scholarship endowment for students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to generate income for their support.

Georgia Tech has always exhibited support for members of the Yellow Jacket family who face dire circumstances — whether from political, natural, or human disasters. This is a time for all of us to once again step up and do what is right and proper in the spirit of community that comes with wearing the White and Gold.

Please send your contributions, large or small, to the Georgia Tech Foundation for “Emergency Scholarship for Students from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” Online gifts through the Georgia Tech Office of Development may also be designated for either this fund or the Latin-American Student Support Endowment at http://b.gatech.edu/gift.

On behalf of students affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, we are very grateful.

Temporary Admission for University of Puerto Rico Students

Georgia Tech and Georgia State are also working on offering temporary admission (one semester) to students of the University of Puerto Rico, which is expected to remain closed for some time. Donors who wish to contribute to this account instead of or in addition to making a gift to the Emergency Scholarship Fund should contact marta.garcia@gatech.edu or sara.araujo@gatech.edu.