UCM Heritage Scholarship Recipients Recognized at Guadalupe Centers Event

By Alex Greenwood, May 26, 2026

 

 

Dr. Joe Arce, UCM Heritage Scholarship committee chair (left) with recipients Danae Atilano, Allyson Sanchez, UCM President Roger Best, Dulce Coreas-Ayala and Eric Torres Garcia.

 

The University of Central Missouri (UCM), the Heritage Scholarship Committee and Guadalupe Centers recognized four 2026 University of Central Missouri Heritage Scholarship recipients during a presentation Saturday, May 16, at Guadalupe Centers in Kansas City.

The event recognized students for academic achievement, community involvement and their commitment to continuing their education at UCM. It also celebrated a long-standing partnership between UCM and the Heritage Scholarship Committee that has helped Kansas City-area students pursue higher education for more than two decades.

The 2026 scholarship recipients are Kansas City-area residents Danae Atilano, recognized as the Gilbert Guerrero Scholar; Dulce Correas-Ayala; Eric Torres Garcia; and Allyson Sanchez.

The program began 22 years ago after UCM invited community leaders to help connect Kansas City students with opportunities at the university. Since then, the program has grown from a single $1,000 scholarship into multiple renewable scholarships that provide $4,000 per year to eligible students. Recipients are selected based on academic performance, school attendance, community involvement, written essays and their potential for success in college.

“This is about the students who are here today,” said Joe Arce, chair of the Heritage Scholarship Committee. “You put in a lot of hard work. You grew your GPA, and you are ready to join this particular fraternity of the University Heritage Scholarship.”

Arce also noted that, for the first time, the scholarship is now available to transfer students, expanding access for students who begin their higher education journey at another institution before coming to UCM.

“We are really proud that we are able to offer that now,” Arce said. 

Roger Best, UCM president, said the university values the long-standing partnership and looks forward to welcoming the scholarship recipients to campus.

“What an honor it is for the University of Central Missouri to be a partner in offering this scholarship,” Best said. “When you earn a degree from the University of Central Missouri, it means something. You will be well prepared for what comes next in your life, whatever that might be.”

Best said students who come to UCM will find academic opportunity, personal connection and support from faculty and staff.

“When you come to UCM, you’re going to find community,” Best said. “If you try at all, our faculty and staff are going to get to know you. They are going to engage with you in a meaningful way, and that is important because that will help create opportunities for you.”

Beto Lopez, president and CEO of Guadalupe Centers Inc., said education has long been central to the organization’s mission and legacy.

“Education is beautiful,” Lopez said. “It gives you opportunity, and it opens doors into the future.”

Manny Abarca IV, a Heritage Scholarship Committee member and UCM alumnus, encouraged the recipients to take full advantage of the opportunity before them. Abarca, who transferred to UCM and later earned multiple degrees from the university, said the scholarship can be life-changing.

“Focus and finish,” Abarca said. “Nothing is more important than getting that degree at the end, walking across the stage and carrying that credential with you. No one can take that education away from you once you complete it.”

Eduardo Mendez, a member of the Heritage Scholarship Committee, spoke about the scholarship named in honor of Gilbert Guerrero, a longtime Guadalupe Centers leader whose legacy continues through the students and families served by the organization.

“I can’t think of another person who exemplifies that better than Gil Guerrero,” Mendez said. “The challenge I have for all of our recipients is to think about the legacy you’ll leave behind.”

The scholarship recipients also spoke about what the award means to them.

Atilano, who plans to study Political Science, said receiving the scholarship was exciting and meaningful.

“I’m excited, nervous, happy, everything,” Atilano said. “It’s something really good.”

Correas-Ayala, who plans to study Nursing, said the scholarship provides important support as she prepares to begin at UCM.

“I’m very excited, and I’m very thankful,” Correas-Ayala said. “I feel very grateful that I have this opportunity and this support.”

Sanchez, one of the first transfer students recognized through the scholarship, said she plans to study Social Work and is eager to begin major coursework at UCM.

“I am so happy,” Sanchez said. “I am so overjoyed. I’m excited to start my major.”

Torres Garcia, also a transfer student, said he is ready to study at UCM.

“It feels good,” Torres Garcia said. “I’m excited to start the classes and get into Construction Management.”

The Heritage Scholarship Committee includes Arce, chair; Abarca; Sonny Castro; Gina Coronado; Monica Huffman; and Mendez.

For more information about the UCM Heritage Scholarship, click here or please contact the Scholarship Assistant via email at scholarships@ucmo.edu, by phone (660) 543-8266 or by mail (University of Central Missouri, Attn: Scholarships, Student Financial Services, PO Box 800, Ward Edwards 1100, Warrensburg, MO 64093).