This year, the ITA (promoting academic talent) program celebrates thirty years of existence—thirty years of transforming the lives of more than 200 young people in Guatemala and of educating professionals who, in many cases, now hold key positions in leading companies across the country.
Since 1996, the ITA program has awarded 311 scholarships, helping 214 students graduate—71 percent of them with honors. Behind every number is a story of perseverance, talent, and opportunity, and a future changed not only for one individual, but for generations to come.
Each year many qualified students apply for admission; however, it is not possible to award scholarships to all of them due to the limited financial resources. That is why this year our Giving Day is called Three for Thirty. Our goal is clear: to raise funds for three full scholarships that, with your support, will open the doors of Universidad Francisco Marroquín to talented young people—many of them the first in their communities to attend college—and help them turn the dream of a university degree into a lasting reality. A full scholarship covers tuition and fees, housing, health insurance, and a stipend for transportation, books, and personal expenses.
This Wednesday, August 12, together we can make it happen. We invite you to mark your calendar and join us in supporting this cause. Every contribution counts, and every scholarship changes a life—and many more around it.
Statistics
ITA graduates by academic unit (up to December 2025)
Number of scholarships awarded since 1996
309
Number of graduates
214
Graduates with honors
71%
Juana Chavez
Aldea San Juan Argueta, Sololá
Industrial-organizational psychology
Have you ever had a dream so big that it seemed impossible because of all the obstacles in the way?
I was born into a family where access to higher education seemed impossible because of our financial circumstances. My path was supposed to end after sixth grade, but God had other plans and placed many people in my life who reached out to help me.
From the age of eleven, I worked to pay for my studies, and I also had my mother’s support. It was difficult, but I always believed that education would change my destiny.
One day, the ITA scholarship (Impulso al Talento Académico) from UFM appeared, and it changed everything. Thanks to that opportunity, today I am an organizational psychologist, and I see this is not just as an end goal, but as the beginning of my purpose: to be a bridge between human talent and organizations.
