UW Student Receives Immigrant Student Award

Jose Rivas, a University of Wyoming senior in criminal justice, is a recipient of the Immigrant Student Beca Award from the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS). Rivas also is seeking a minor in Latino studies.

The NACCS Immigrant Student Beca Fund was founded in 2008 to help Chicana and Chicano students receive college degrees. The program offers nationally competitive scholarships for immigrant students who are committed to furthering the well-being of Chicana and Chicano students.

Rivas was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States when he was 6 years old. He grew up in Gillette and graduated from Campbell County High School in 2007. After high school, Rivas attended Gillette College, where he received two associate degrees. In 2013, he transferred to UW. Rivas is the first in his family to graduate from high school and college.

Since his transfer to UW, Rivas has been active in many UW student programs. He is a current co-chair of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), a UW recognized student organization that promotes Chicano values. Rivas was active in the Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue events in February. He also was a nominee for the 2015 Willena Stanford Commitment to Diversity Award that was presented during a community supper as part of the weeklong events.

Rivas says he is interested in pursuing immigration law to help Hispanic student immigrants gain a secondary education.

“It is truly an honor and an awesome experience to be recognized at a national level for my accomplishments as an immigrant student,” Rivas says.