Casa Vegana de la Comunidad ("CV"), with the support of El Grifo and Academia Gastronomía Vegana LLC ("the Academy"), will grant a scholarship to participate in the Specialization in Plant-based Culinary Arts offered by Academia Gastronomía Vegana. This scholarship is valued at approximately $9,000.

⚠️ We sincerely appreciate the time you dedicate to carefully review the requirements, the process, and the instructions for submitting your application in full. If possible, we would appreciate it if you could send the applications only when complete, including the necessary documents via email. If it's not feasible to do so, kindly inform us of the status of any potentially missing documents or indicate if they do not apply (N/A).

If viewing the application in English, we recommend changing your browser language to Spanish for better comprehension. The application must be completed in Spanish, unless it is more convenient for you to write in English.

General Requirements: To be considered by the scholarship committee, applicants must meet the eligibility requirements. A summary is provided below. We emphasize the importance of reviewing the Academy's requirements at the following link:

[Link to Requirements](https://academiagastronomiavegana.com/products/especializacion-en-artes-culinarias-a-base-de-plantas)

1. Age requirement (18 years): Participants in virtual or in-person courses or programs must be over 18 years of age and must also be their own caregivers.

2. Compliance with rules and policies: Full compliance is required by all participants, teachers, administrative staff, suppliers, affiliates, entities, and others with the manuals of rules and policies of Academia Gastronomía Vegana LLC, state and federal laws, as well as the regulations of government institutions.

The course has a duration of almost six months, starting in June 2023 and ending in December 2023 (These dates are subject to change due to weather or other factors). The class schedule is Wednesdays from 5 pm to 9 pm and Saturdays from 8 am to 5 pm.

3. Dress code: For in-person courses or programs, participants must wear a black shirt with a collar and sleeves, long black pants, visible socks, and fully closed-toe safety shoes. Hair must be tied back and covered with a hairnet or chef's hat. The use of hats, nail polish, artificial nails, or jewelry is prohibited.

4. During the course, participants will be provided with the equipment, kitchen utensils, and ingredients necessary to fulfill the course and/or in-person program objectives. All participants will need access to a computer, smartphone, login credentials for video calls via Google Meet and Zoom, and unlimited internet access, among other items.

5. Completion of high school or possession of a GED.

6. As a professional goal, aspiring to educate oneself as a vegan chef, demonstrating an interest in participating in the vegan culinary industry, or aspiring to serve in some culinary aspect within the vegan movement.

7. Graduates are encouraged to give back to Casa Vegana, specifically by serving as instructors for the Cocina ComPAZiva initiative, for at least three episodes, thereby contributing to vegan education for our community.

8. This scholarship is only open to Puerto Rican residents of the island.

9. Being vegan.

10. Bilingual in Spanish and English.

Application Procedure:

Applications are based on a 45-point scale depending on the criteria listed in this application. Only complete applications will be reviewed by the scholarship selection committee. Points can be earned through previous education, voluntary culinary activities, and involvement with CV.

Students will be notified by email of the award or denial of the scholarship within 5 days after the application deadline.

Finalists will receive an email with instructions to submit a video, which will be used to complete their assessment as candidates.

Applicants are encouraged to reapply if scholarships are needed in future years.

Revocation of the aid: CV reserves the right to cancel any scholarship at any time if the applicant does not meet the standards of academic progress, any other scholarship requirement, or falsifies information.

🚨 ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION. PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING 🚨

✅ Volunteering in activities related to the school and the industry

(Total of 10 possible points) Points can be earned for participation as a culinary volunteer in activities related to the school and the industry. Some examples include charitable acts in the community, food pantry, cooking to help in the event of a catastrophe, serving as a culinary volunteer in a club, cooking in a shelter for the homeless, or working at a charity dinner. Send via email to beca@casaveganapr.org

Points vary based on the number of activities attended or worked on in the past 12 months, with a maximum of 3 events. One or more letters accrediting voluntary service should be provided as proof.

1 event/activity presented = 3 points

2 events/activities presented = 7 points

3 events/activities presented = 10 points

✅ Letters of recommendation

(Total of 10 possible points) Submit two letters of recommendation from professionals in the culinary industry and/or culinary educators. If not applicable, letters from an educator, mentor, educational institution, and/or workplace supervisor will be considered. Family members are not eligible. References submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Send via email to beca@casaveganapr.org

✅ Essay

(Total of 25 possible points) Respond to each of the five questions in the form below. Each question is worth 5 possible points for a total of 25 points. Responses should have a minimum of 50 words per question and a maximum of 200 words. Points will be awarded based on relevance, organization, and grammatical and sentence structure.

Bonus:

✅ Participation in Casa Vegana

(Total of 10 possible points) Additional points can be earned for involvement in CV-related activities, including volunteering, working on a CV committee, holding a position in the organization, or attending a CV event. Points vary based on the number of CV events attended in the past 18 months, with a maximum of 3 events. Provide a verification letter from a section representative or an attendance letter. Send via email to beca@casaveganapr.org

1 event/activity presented = 3 points

2 events/activities presented = 7 points

3 events/activities presented = 10 points