Application is open for the 23-24 year!
The Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship Fund, offered through the CSU Career Center, provides monetary funding of up to $2,000 to selected students who participate in a fellowship during their time as a CSU student. This program is designed to remove barriers to gaining academic and professional development for students who might otherwise not be able to access such opportunities. All CSU students are eligible to apply regardless of citizenship status.
What is a fellowship?
A fellowship is typically a merit, research, service, or project-based scholarships which provides students with opportunities to gain knowledge and professional development in their field of interest. Fellowships are common across educational institutions and fields. Please note that the Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship is not employment or a replacement to an internship.
Mary Ontiveros’ Legacy
This fund is named in recognition of Mary Ontiveros, an alumna of CSU who went on to serve in a variety of leadership positions at the university for more than 48 years. She retired in 2020 as the founding Vice President of Diversity. She was a fierce advocate, highly active in the Latinx community, and constantly raised the bar for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on campus. We honor Mary’s legacy through the Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship Fund.
We are accepting applications on a rolling basis until April 25th 2024
Application Process
The application process includes 4 steps. See full details for each step below.
Step 1: Meet with Career Center Representative to discuss eligibility by filling out an interest form.
Step 2: Meet with Student Legal Services to understand the legal implications. If you have been previously award, you can skip this step.
Step 3: Create/Secure a Fellowship with a Grantor with signed Grantor Agreement form.
Step 4: Submit an application
Eligibility Requirements
- Currently enrolled CSU undergraduate or graduate student
- Experience barriers to accessing professional development opportunities
- Demonstrate financial need in essay questions and financial aid eligibility.
- Secure fellowship opportunity prior to applying
- The maximum number of times a student can receive an award is twice during their time at CS
Application Timeline
The Career Center will be reviewing and processing applications on a rolling basis for 2022-2023 Academic year. You can submit your application between August 28th, 2023- April 15, 2024 or until funds are available.
We will notify you of the status of your application within 1-3 weeks after submission. Please note, if you apply in December or January, we might take longer to respond.
You can apply once per academic year.
The maximum number of times a student can receive an award is twice during their time at CSU.
Award Details
We award up to $2,000 per student per year. Awards are disbursed directly to your student account.
The award supports you for 1 or 2 semesters during per academic year.
Your award will be determined by your financial aid availability. You can apply once per academic year. The maximum number of times a student can receive an award is twice during their time at CSU.
We require all students to submit an interest form prior to applying to the Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship. Once you fill out this form, you will be contacted by Brian Jimenez Fraile, Career Education Graduate Fellow, to discuss the following:
- What is the Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship?
- Eligibility requirements
- Your professional development interests/goals
- How to find a grantor/fellowship
- The general application processes
Make an Appointment with Penny Gonzales-Soto in Student Legal Services.
If you have been previously award and have met with Penny, you can skip this step.
Fellowships are not employment, thus, to understand the legal implications of a fellowship, please make an appointment with Penny Gonzales-Soto in Student Legal Services.
To make an appointment, you can go to https://sls.colostate.edu/
In the appointment/intake form, under “Brief explanation of your legal issue”, state “Need to meet with Penny for Inclusive Fellowship Fund”. You may also call 970-491-1482 to make an intake by telephone.
2A: Find a Grantor & Create Fellowship
Before applying, you are required to secure a fellowship opportunity with a faculty, staff or community member also known as a Grantor.
When meeting with a Career Center representative, we can discuss potential fellowship grantor options.
We recommend reflecting on your goals and what experiences you want to gain during your time at CSU prior to meeting with a trusted staff, faculty, and community members to agree to a fellowship.
2D: Grantor Agreement (Required)
A Grantor Agreement Form is a document for which a staff, faculty or community member signs an agreement that states they will not be providing employment.
The Grantor Agreement Form should be completed by the Grantor (the person that will oversee the fellowship) and then submitted by the student with their completed application materials.
We recommend submitting your application 2-3 months before your fellowship is scheduled to begin. See more details for our application deadline below.
Your application will include the following:
- Short essay questions
- What do you wish to learn or gain from your fellowship? (250 words or fewer)
- Please explain why this fellowship is important to you and how it fits into your professional goals and career path. (250 words or fewer)
- Please explain how this award will help to make your fellowship financially possible (250 words or fewer)
- Grantor Contact information
- Uploaded Grantor Agreement Form
- Demographic questions
For questions contact Alexis Gomez, alexis.a.gomez@colostate.edu
FAQ's
Yes. Students who are not eligible to fill out a FAFSA can apply. The Career Center will confirm with the Office of Financial Aid to see if you are eligible.
A Grantor is known as a mentor, trainer, advisor or coach that supports a student (fellow) with educational, professional and/or research opportunities. The Grantors’ purpose is to guide and support a student (fellow) with their educational and professional goals. A Grantor is not an employer and should not resemble a transitional employee/employer relationship.
By meeting with a Career Representative, we can support you with finding a grantor.
The fellowship timeline is between you and your grantor. You both determine when your fellowship begins and ends. Please keep in mind that if selected for the Fellowship Fund, your award supports you for 1 or 2 semesters during the academic year since the award is connected to your financial aid package. We recommend starting your fellowship once you are awarded. If you are not awarded, you are not expected to participate in your fellowship.
You can apply anytime throughout the academic year until April 15th, 2024.
You can apply once per academic year. The maximum amount of time a student can receive an award is twice during their time at CSU. Please note that we prioritize undergraduate seniors and students who have not previously received an award.
You can expect to be notified within 1-3 weeks after submission. Before making any final awards decisions, we run our prospective list through the Office of Financial Aid
Students are typically awarded through the Office of Financial aid; thus your award will be transferred to your CSU student account.
We recommend writing about your experience under “Experience” instead of a “Employment” or Work Experience” since a fellowship is not employment. For more advice and suggestions, please make an appointment with the Career Center through handshake or calling our front desk 970-491-5707.
