Scholarship Program

The Dante Alighieri Society of Pueblo is an organization that promotes Italian language and culture in Pueblo and southern Colorado. It was founded in 1977 and is one of only nine designated Dante Alighieri Societies in the United States. Pueblo’s Italian American population and Italophiles are proud of this association and its celebration of the father of the Italian language, the great medieval poet, Dante Alighieri (1265-1321).

The annual Scholarship Awards Celebration takes place in May at the Pueblo Country Club. Each year, the Dante Alighieri Society recognizes outstanding high school and university students with a monetary award to study Italian and/or travel to Italy.

We are truly grateful for the numerous scholarships we have awarded students in our community over the past four decades. We would like to thank our membership, donors, and our corporate sponsors for supporting the scholarship event.

High School Students

The Dante Alighieri Society of Pueblo has awarded scholarships to high school seniors since 1980. We continue the tradition by awarding $1000 scholarships to students from each area high school that offers studies in Italian. In order to be eligible for a scholarship, students must have completed two or more years of Italian in high school with a 3.5 GPA in Italian and a 3.0 GPA overall.

Students who wish to apply should provide an official transcript and two letters of recommendation including a letter from their Italian teacher. The application should include a statement explaining how the scholarship would be meaningful to the student. Successful applicants are required to attend the annual scholarship luncheon on the first Sunday in May.

In order to receive the $1000 award, students must successfully complete two semesters of Italian at an accredited university within four years of receiving the scholarship. The Italian courses must be completed following high school graduation. Concurrent enrollment courses do not fulfill this requirement.

Recipients of the scholarships are chosen on the basis of their academic achievement. There is no consideration given to gender, race, creed, or national origin of any candidate. Please refer to the scholarship application for specific details and contact information.

College Students

Dante Alighieri Scholarships are available for Colorado State University – Pueblo students. Awards are given on a competitive basis. Declared Italian minors are given preference for short-term, month-long, or semester study in Italy. Students who are interested in minoring in Italian should discuss this with the program director, Dr. Chris Picicci.

All students will be required to submit a Dante Alighieri of Pueblo scholarship application, a short essay on why the scholarship will be beneficial, and two letters of recommendation. If a student has been selected to receive a scholarship, s/he will be notified by letter. Once selected, a student will receive details about the disbursement of the scholarship award.

Scholarships will be assigned to students in good standing and are based on academic merit. Students are encouraged to apply for other monetary awards in order to help cover an overseas study in Italy.