By: Lucy Gellman | New Haven Arts
Natalie Quiroz-Duran got her first taste of teaching when she stepped into ARTE’s Saturday Academy, picked up her clarinet, and began to instruct students who were in middle and elementary school. Now, the organization that sparked her interest is helping her get through college.
This fall, Quiroz-Duran is one of nine scholarship recipients through ARTE, Inc., the Fair Haven-based arts and education incubator that has been running the scholarship program since 2004. This year, recipients include law students, budding cinematographers, aspiring psychologists and nurses, and undeclared college freshmen. Fair Haven School, the only school to receive an award, will use the funds toward a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration later this month.
It brings the total that ARTE has awarded to $108,000. This year, awardees include University of Connecticut law student Christian Aviles, UConn undergraduates Linda Torres and Kaleb Alvarez Diaz, Pace University junior Daniela Santiago, Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) students Quiroz-Duran and Carla Janela Garzon Yumbla, Amherst College sophomore Yareli Calderon Romero, University of New Haven student Yamilett Hernandez.
“I think it’s really important,” said Co-Founder Dave Greco, who runs the organization with his partner Daniel (Danny) Diaz. “There are so many kids, especially in an urban environment, that don’t have exposure to it [a higher education], or don’t know what’s available to them. It’s difficult for kids to navigate into college.” The scholarships are there to make it a little easier.
He added that the scholarship program has grown consistently since it began in 2004, the same year the two launched ARTE in Fair Haven. In the beginning, “we really had no money,” and some of the scholarships came from his and Diaz’ own pockets. Now, ARTE is able to fundraise for the scholarships, which award between $800 and $1,000 per student. For Greco, it’s part of building a path to college for young people who want it, but might not believe it’s for them.
Last week, several of the organization’s recipients said they are grateful for both the award and the recognition from ARTE, Inc. A freshman at SCSU, Quiroz-Duran became involved in ARTE three years ago, when she heard that its weekly Saturday Academy needed teachers.
At the time, she was a student at Wilbur Cross High School, and had been playing the clarinet for six years. ARTE gave her a music class to teach. If she needed backup, there were New Haven Public Schools teachers waiting in the wings.
It was there that she first fell in love with teaching, she said. She was equally grateful for an educational engine that celebrated her Mexican roots, which stretch to Tlaxcala in one direction and Mexico City in the other. While her major is still undecided, she said she is considering early childhood and elementary education.
“Even before senior year, I would search and search for scholarships,” she said. “I would never hear back. I just want to give thanks to ARTE for giving students of color a shot.”