Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Saint Martin’s University will welcome seven new Act Six Scholars to the incoming class of 2025 this upcoming fall. The scholars are among 30 emerging urban and community leaders from Tacoma-Seattle area high schools to receive full college scholarships worth up to $245,000 at five partner colleges as members of the latest Act Six cohort.
Selected through a rigorous three-month competition from 177 applicants, these diverse student leaders were selected for their distinctive leadership skills, academic potential, and commitment to making a difference in their communities.
The third cadre of Saint Martin’s Act Six Scholars include:
- Cheryl Aguilar Henriquez (Political Science, Federal Way High School),
- Immanuel Lee (Mechanical Engineering, Todd Beamer High School),
- Alisha Saucedo (Elementary Education, Thomas Jefferson High School),
- Tory Esperanza (Sociology and Cultural Anthropology, Kentridge Senior High School),
- Lupita Huerta-Acuchi (Pre-Medicine, Washington High School),
- Pedro Esqueda (Psychology, Tacoma Science and Math Institute), and
- Aslam Bwanika (Mechanical Engineering, Tacoma Science and Math Institute)
“We are excited to welcome Cadre three to our campus this year,” said Saint Martin’s dean of enrollment Pamela Holsinger-Fuchs, Ph.D. “Some of our previous cadre members are serving as Resident Assistants, Student Government leaders and positively impacting our campus and we are excited to see what members of this Cadre will do!”
The Act Six network is a leadership development and scholarship initiative led by Degrees of Change that identifies, trains and supports the region’s most promising urban students as transformative campus and community leaders.
Act Six connects local faith-based community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges to equip emerging urban and community leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home through a simple but powerful four-part strategy: Recruit and Select, Train and Prepare, Send and Fund, and Support and Inspire.
Since 2002, Act Six has trained 1,092 scholars from seven cities in 161 cadres for 18 private, liberal arts colleges. While 91 percent are from low-income families or are first-generation college goers, 81 percent graduate within six years—20 points higher than all students at their colleges.
In 2018, Saint Martin’s joined Gonzaga University, Northwest University, Pacific Lutheran University and Whitworth University to become the fifth college partner in the Tacoma-Seattle Act Six network. Saint Martin’s University selected its inaugural Act Six Scholars in March of 2019.
Please visit Saint Martin’s University’s Act Six page for more information.
