Please note the Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship Program is not a replacement of the Unpaid Internship Program. The fellowship award does not support unpaid internship.
Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship FundThe Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship Fund, offered through the CSU Career Center, provides monetary funding of up to $4,000 to selected students who participate in a fellowship during their time as a CSU student. All CSU students are eligible to apply regardless of citizenship status.
What is a fellowship?
Fellowships provide students the opportunity to gain experience to support their educational and career goals. Fellowships prioritize the educational and professional development of the fellow (student) and differ from traditional jobs and internships. Fellowships may include focused study or exploration in a specific field, research to advance work on a particular issue, advisory consultation, or the development of a new initiative. Ultimately, these opportunities provide fellows with meaningful professional experience, skill development for life after college, and access to professional networks and mentorship.
Students are expected to find and secure their own fellowship prior to applying for this fund.
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 15th 2023
Application Process
The application process includes 3 steps. See full details for each step below.
Step 1: Meet with the Office of Financial Aid and Student Legal Services to assess eligibility.
Step 2: Create/Secure a Fellowship with a Grantor with signed Grantor Agreement form.
Step 3: Submit an online application.
Eligibility Requirements
- Currently enrolled CSU student
- In Good Academic Standing
- (2.0 GPA for undergraduates, 3.0 GPA for graduate students)
- Demonstrate financial need in essay and through meeting with Office of Financial Aid (as described below).
- Secure fellowship opportunity prior to applying
- A fellowship cannot be an internship.
- The maximum number of times a student can receive an award is twice during their time at CSU
We prioritize:
- First time applicants
- Undergraduate students who are nearing their anticipated graduation date
- First generation college students (student whose parent(s) or guardian(s) have not received a bachelor’s degree
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 1, 2022- April 15, 2023.
We will notify you of the status of your application within four to six weeks after you apply. Please note, if you apply in December or January, we might take longer to respond.
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 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 $4,000 per student per year. Awards are disbursed directly to your student account.
The award supports you for 1 or 2 semesters during the academic year. We do not recommend having your fellowship continue for more than one academic year since your award is only for one academic year.
Your award will be determined by your financial aid availability and if you have previously received an award. 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.
1A: Contact the Office of Financial Aid
Before applying, we ask for you to consult with the Office of Financial Aid to determine if you are eligible to receive up to a $4,000 award, and how that would impact on your financial aid package, including current and future scholarships. We ask that you email the Office of Financial Aid, ofa_financialaid@mail.colostate.edu.
You can also call their office, (970) 491-6321 or stop by during their office hours to meet with a counselor. Their drop-ins are available 9:00am- 5:00pm, Monday- Friday.
Address: Centennial Hall, 1000 Libbie Coy Wy, Fort Collins, CO 80523
Email template:
Subject line: Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship Inquiry
Hello,
I am interested in applying for the Ontiveros Inclusive Fellowship in the Career Center. Before I apply, I would like to know if I am eligible to receive up to a $4,000 award in the _____ (ex. Spring 2023) semester and how that would potentially impact my current and future financial aid package. My students ID number is ______.
1B: Make an Appointment with Penny Gonzales-Soto in Student Legal Services
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 Grantor. A Grantor is a mentor, trainer, advisor, or coach that supports a Fellow (student) with educational, professional, and/or research opportunities. Grantors will oversee your fellowship. It is your responsibility to contact a staff, faculty, or community member to ask them to be your Grantor for your fellowship.
We recommend reflecting on your goals and what experiences you want to gain during your time at CSU and then asking trusted staff, faculty, and community members to agree to a fellowship.
2B: Contact Staff and Faculty
If you are interested in a fellowship within your field, we recommend contacting a staff or faculty member you already know or searching through your department website and reviewing faculty and staff bios to learn more about faculty research and interests. Below is an email template asking an individual to become your Grantor for a fellowship.
Email Template Faculty Example:
Hello Dr. Bermudez,
My name is ____and I am a third-year sociology student. I have an interest in environmental justice and how social groups contribute to the advancement of environmental justice. I reviewed information about your research areas on the department website and I believe there may be an overlap between my areas of interest and the areas you research.
I am in the process of applying for a fellowship that would allow me to pursue these interests and receive funding for this development opportunity through the CSU Career Center. Before I apply for the funding, I must find a Grantor to support my fellowship. A Grantor is a mentor, trainer, advisor, or coach that would support me with advancing these areas of interest through a project, research, or similar developmental opportunity. Would you consider being the Grantor of this fellowship? For more information about the Fellowship or Grantor expectations, please click here.
If you are open to the possibility of being a Grantor on this fellowship application, can we find time to discuss this further?
Thanks for your consideration,
Name
Still Can find a grantor?
If you need ideas on finding a Grantor or exploring ideas, see our FA22-Sp23 Grantor List for Ontiveros Fellowship Program.xlsx
This is an Excel sheet of individuals who have been a Grantor before or are open to becoming one.
2C: Meet with Staff/Faculty Member to discuss Potential Fellowship
During your meeting, we encourage you to discuss learning goals, ideas for a fellowship, and general timeline of your fellowship. You should then finalize a fellowship by having a staff or faculty sign the Grantor Agreement (see below).
Fellowship Timelines
The fellowship timeline is between you and your Grantor. You both will 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. The Career Center will notify you roughly 6 weeks after you apply. If you are not awarded, you are not expected to participate in your fellowship.
2D: Grantor Agreement (Required)
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
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Meet with a Career Educator in the Career Center to learn how to describe your fellowship experience on your career materials (resume, cover letters, interviews, graduate school applications). To make an appointment, go through handshake or call our front desk at 970- 491- 5707.
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. We still ask all potential applicants to meet with the Office of Financial Aid to see if you are eligible for this award.
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.
Please review the FA22-Sp23 Grantor List for Ontiveros Fellowship Program Excel sheet, as these individuals have been a grantor before or are open to becoming one. If you are interested in a topic or grantor outside of this list and do not know who to contact, please email Amy Cailene at amy.cailene@colostate.edu, as she might be able to connect you with trusted staff or faculty with similar research or professional development interests.
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. The Career Center will notify you roughly 6 weeks after you apply. 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, 2023. Please note that award notification and processing time can take up to 6 weeks.
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 four to six weeks. Before making any final awards decisions, we run our prospective list through the Office of Financial Aid or Human Resources Payroll to check for significant issues.
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.
