For Sara Gomez Horta ’17, Linfield University once felt out of reach.
Now, as a Linfield alumnus, donor and trustee, she is helping make sure more students can see themselves belonging at Linfield.
Gomez Horta and her wife, Olivia Markbreiter, established the new Somos Linfield Endowed Scholarship, which provides financial support to students from households with limited access to higher education or who have experienced barriers to access. Recipients must also demonstrate a meaningful appreciation for and engagement with Latino culture, history or community through lived experience, coursework or service.
“I chose the name Somos Linfield, which means ‘We are Linfield,’ because I’m so proud of our students and wanted to celebrate the rich history of Latine culture, comunidad and scholarship at Linfield,” Gomez Horta said. “The name is a reminder that everyone belongs at Linfield, and that this community is an important part of what makes Linfield special.”
The scholarship grew from her own experience.
“As a Latina who grew up low-income in an immigrant family, I never dreamed I could attend a school like Linfield University,” she said. “Thanks to the hard work of so many people, I did. I created this scholarship to honor former Linfield employee Gerardo Ochoa’s 22 years of service and dedication to all students, including first-generation and Latine students.”
Now she hopes the scholarship can provide that same sense of possibility for future students.
The Somos Linfield Endowed Scholarship is part of a long tradition of alumni and other members of the Linfield community supporting students. Linfield has more than 200 endowed scholarships, providing ongoing financial support to generations of students.
“The Somos Linfield Endowed Scholarship will help ensure that more students get access to our incredible community,” she said. “I can’t think of anything more special than a first-year student arriving on campus as a Somos Linfield scholar. I hope they know what I didn’t at their age: They belong here. They are Linfield.”
Alumni and friends can help create that opportunity for future Linfield students by supporting the Somos Linfield Endowed Scholarship.
About the scholarship
The Somos Linfield Endowed Scholarship was established to sustain Linfield’s commitment to expanding access to communities that have long been underserved and to help ensure that students who may never have imagined a place like Linfield was meant for them can claim it as their own.
The scholarship supports students who demonstrate financial need and have a meaningful appreciation for and engagement with Latino culture, history or community through lived experience, coursework or service. Applicants must be in good academic standing with a minimum 2.0 GPA.
“My hope is that prospective students will see this scholarship and see themselves represented at Linfield,” she said. “I also hope that alumni who would have benefited from a scholarship like this will be inspired to help spread the word.”
Students rely on donors
For students receiving scholarships, that support can change what is possible at Linfield.
More than 90% of Linfield students receive financial aid and scholarships, helping make a private university education more accessible to students from a range of financial backgrounds.
For Linfield senior chemistry major and first-generation student Allan Fernandez of Sisters, the endowed Linfield Alumni Scholarship has significantly impacted his education.
“This scholarship has a meaningful impact on my education by helping make my time at Linfield more financially sustainable and allowing me to focus more fully on my academics, service and preparation for medical school,” Fernandez said. “As a first-generation college student, financial support has played an important role in making higher education possible for me. I am incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Linfield Alumni who make scholarships like this possible.”
For Fernandez, the support from alumni has helped him pursue his goals while allowing him time to mentor others and serve his community.
“I hope to carry that same spirit of generosity forward in my future career in medicine,” he said.
