Yuliana Ganan, a rising senior, is the 2022-23 recipient of the Yvette M. Huet Sí Se Puede Scholarship. Awarded to a junior or senior undergraduate student who demonstrates a continued commitment to the growth, support and empowerment of Latinx communities, the scholarship is earmarked for those who share this commitment, honor the legacies of those who have come before and will chart new pathways for those to come.
Majoring in public health and minoring in Spanish, Ganan, a first-generation college student from Greensboro, North Carolina, is considering two career paths; each would prepare her to serve the Latinx community — a priority for her. She either will pursue a master’s degree in public health to concentrate on community health practice or go to work as an EMT in preparation for becoming a physician assistant.
“This scholarship will help me afford my last year at UNC Charlotte, allowing me to focus on excelling in academics and giving back to my community,” Ganan said in a letter to the scholarship committee. “I am fully independent when it comes to covering the cost of university, and I’m proud to say I am on track to graduate debt-free.”
Experiencing the U.S. health care system as a child of immigrants, Ganan realized early the challenges to navigating it. It was during the pandemic while working as a COVID-19 contact tracer that she became fully aware of disparities faced by the Latinx community. It was this opportunity that drove her decision to pursue a career in public health. During her senior year, she aims to leave UNC Charlotte’s Latinx community with “more knowledge of resources,” by helping to create a center that provides academic, physical, emotional and mental health resources to succeed in college.
Ganan is a member of the Latinx Student Union, Latinx American Student Organization, the Hispanic College Awareness Program and Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc. Currently a resident advisor, she has been a housing ambassador, NinerGuide and part of the Honors College.
The Yvette M. Huet Sí Se Puede Scholarship is named for UNC Charlotte’s professor of kinesiology and founder of the ADVANCE Faculty Affairs and Diversity Office to honor her 30-plus years of service to the University. The first Chicana to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas Medical Center in the basic sciences, Huett displays leadership, comradery and dedication that embodies a deep and lasting commitment to the value of Latinxs in higher education.
Students may apply for the Yvette M. Huet Sí Se Puede Scholarship through the NinerScholars Application Portal, which opens in October (applications due in April) for the following academic year. For more information, contact the University Scholarship Office.