Our flagship initiative, Somos Carolina, selects Somos Scholars to participate in a 5-year program that spans middle and high school to foster the self-efficacy and support network necessary to flourish as scholars and civic leaders in their communities and future college campuses. Somos Carolina serves students in middle school & high school. Ultimately, we strive to ensure our community feels a sense of belonging in North Carolina. Somos de aquí y somos de álla. #SomosCarolina
If you are a rising 8th grader, apply for our Somos Carolina Summer!
Somos Carolina Middle School starts with Somos Summer, a 3-week summer opportunity for rising 8th graders. 50 middle school students are selected each year to participate in workshops to establish the fundamental skills, mindsets, and community necessary to affirm their cultural identities, develop leadership skills, and ultimately, be successful in their future endeavors.
Somos Carolina
Middle School
During Somos Carolina, students…
Develop appreciation for their cultural identity as a Latino/a/x student in North Carolina;
Identify their key strengths and strategize how to best use them to lead their own destiny;
Critically examine their roles as scholars within our schools and local communities.
Who are we looking for?
Somos Scholars must demonstrate the following criteria:
Scholars must reside in Lee County, NC and demonstrate financial need.
Scholars must be willing to positively collaborate with their peers. Scholars aim to display persistence in their classroom and community.
Scholars must be motivated to pursue their future aspirations and learn about themselves, others, and the world around them.
Immigrant & Ethnic Identity
Scholars should be first- or second-generation immigrants (an immigrant or child of immigrant parents) and identify as Latino/a/x or Hispanic.
Scholars must be the first member in their family to attend a college or university and complete a formal curriculum for a degree in the United States.
Scholars must have a support system who will attend parent/guardian meetings, provide or arrange transportation as needed, and support the student’s academic development.
Click below to apply to our program!
Somos Carolina
High School
Are you in high school?
Somos Carolina High School Chapters focus on the three pillars of our leadership initiative: Latinidad, Learning, and Leadership.
Interested in starting a Somos Carolina Chapter at your high school?
Let us know below!
This focus allows students to engage within a community that:
affirms their cultural identity and immigrant roots
cultivates a positive relationship with learning
prepares them for next steps after high school as leaders in their communities and college campuses.
Are you a young professional interested in working with Latinx youth?
We’re on the hunt for talented and motivated people who are interested in working with Latinx middle school students. During our Somos Carolina summer program, you would be working alongside a co-instructor to facilitate a positive learning environment for a small group of 12 students.
Somos Carolina
Instructors
Somos Carolina made me appreciate my personal experience and the collective experience of Latinx students in education.
Gladys Alvarez