Esperanza, Inc.—which translates to “hope”—was founded in the early 1980s as a neighborhood initiative to expand Hispanics’ access to higher education by encouraging and rewarding academic performance through scholarships. Its founders understood the need to increase the services provided by introducing programs to meet more of the educational needs of the community because it was Ohio’s sole nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion and advancement of Hispanic educational attainment.
Candidates must be graduating high school seniors, full-time students at an accredited college or university for the upcoming fall semester, residents of Cuyahoga County (HPOA candidates may also reside in Lorain County), Hispanic or have at least one parent who is Hispanic, and American citizens or Permanent Residents in order to be eligible for the Esperanza Scholarship.



















