TAMPA, Fla. — Last year, we reported on local initiatives to help get more Black and Latino men into college. In that report, we also highlighted some of the struggles Black and brown men go through in higher education.
We Interviewed Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri, a student at Hillsborough Community College, who had dreams of transferring to an ivy league school to study law. One year later, I wanted to catch up with him to find out what was new.
Currently, Getulio is in the process of applying to some of the nation’s top schools and it’s down to the wire because he graduates from HCC in May. We were delighted to find out that this first-generation Brazilian-American college student became a semi-finalist for a national prestigious scholarship worth $55,000 a year.
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“Dear, Getulio Gonzalez-Mulattieri, we are happy to inform you that you have been selected as a semi-finalist in the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation undergraduate transfer scholarship,” said Getulio as he continued to read the rest of the letter.
“Well, they don’t give everyone these scholarships,” said Dr. Suzanne Lynch, Getulio’s academic adviser, and African American Studies professor. “So, this scholarship is for the elite of the elites.”
As you tell, Dr. Lynch is so proud of him, especially because she knows all too well the barriers that exist for students who come from families of low socio-economic status. “That’s many of our Black and brown students, but also, we also have a lot of White students, as well, who don’t come from those families with a reservoir of funds to help out,” Dr. Lynch explained.
As for this veteran and community activist, continuing his higher education is essential for him to effect change. “I want to go to law school, and if I’m in a financially secure enough place, I could, you know, be the peoples’ advocate,” said Getulio.
