Davis New Mexico Scholarship Receives $60 Million to Support First-Generation College Students

Santa Fe, N.M.

Nearly 10 years ago, philanthropist Andrew Davis founded the Davis New Mexico Scholarship to prove what he knew to be true--that first-generation college-going New Mexican students would thrive at college if given the chance. In a groundbreaking affirmation of this vision and the scholarship program he created, Mr. Davis has reaffirmed his commitment to the young people of New Mexico, granting up to $60 million to support the Davis New Mexico Scholarship program over the next six years.

"We’re trying to make real progress on access to college for first-generation college-going New Mexicans,” says Davis, a longtime Santa Fe resident who now lives primarily in New York. “I want to be sure that young people in New Mexico believe that if they reach for college, higher education is something attainable for them and their families.” 

Reflecting on the scholarship’s trajectory over the last decade, Davis remarked: “We set out to prove that with the right resources and support, dedicated students from New Mexico can compete with their peers nationwide. Giving New Mexican students the opportunity to grow and learn alongside students from around the country will ultimately benefit every New Mexican.” Nationally, fewer than 0.1% of scholarships award more than $25,000 per year of funding, and most of those awards go to students who are not low income or first generation, according to the National Scholarship Providers Association and savingforcollege.com.

The Davis New Mexico Scholarship flies in the face of that national trend. With an acceptance rate of nearly 25% and a guarantee of full financial support, the scholarship is making a college education possible for a significant number of students who would not otherwise have a pathway to a college degree.

Photo: Andrew and Kate Davis at Santa Fe Preparatory School (Credit: Brandon Soder)

The Davis New Mexico Scholarship program was created as an extension of Breakthrough Santa Fe, a college preparatory program that has an impressive track record of successfully helping low-income and first-generation Santa Fe students achieve their dreams of going to college. In 2014, the Davis New Mexico Scholarship officially became a full-ride scholarship, offering five students each year the opportunity to go to college out of state at no financial cost to them. Since then, the scholarship has grown to over 150 students and distributed over $10 million in scholarship funds. This new level of support from Mr. Davis will enable the scholarship to support over 200 students--50 each year--for the next four years.

“I am proud to have been a Davis New Mexico Scholar--the scholarship helped me tremendously to and through college, and has propelled me into a career working with young people,” says Yesenia Bermejo, a 2019 graduate of St. Edward’s University and a Site Coordinator with Communities in Schools at Nina Otero Community School. Now, she works with elementary school students, many of whom remind her of herself when she was young: “The Davis New Mexico Scholarship, together with my time at Breakthrough Santa Fe, showed me that it was possible for me to earn a degree away from home and then support myself helping others here in Santa Fe.”

This extraordinary funding from Mr. Davis comes on the heels of the success of the Davis New Mexico Scholarship program. The scholarship boasts a four-year graduation rate of 93%, compared to less than 20% nationwide for first-generation college students, according to the Center for First Generation Student Success. “The drive of our students to earn a degree is what keeps the scholarship going strong,” says Sam Ritter, the Director of the Davis New Mexico Scholarship. “When we combined the resilience of New Mexican students, the dedication of staff at the colleges and local college access affiliates we work with, and the extraordinary financial commitment from Andrew Davis, we discovered a combination that overwhelmingly enables students to be successful in their pursuit of a college degree.”

Photo: Davis New Mexico Scholars Manuel Armendariz Castro and Brayan Vazquez (Loyola Marymount University '23) on campus last Spring. (Credit: Brandon Soder)

“Without the Davis New Mexico Scholarship, I never would have dreamed of going away to college,” says Gabriel Alarcón Macías, a 2020 graduate of Monte del Sol Charter School who is finishing his first semester at the University of Denver. “Between all of the help and support I received during high school, and the way the scholarship has stuck with me this fall, I’ve been able to focus on my classes, even with all the challenges of starting college during a pandemic.” 

The Davis New Mexico Scholarship is generously hosted at Santa Fe Preparatory School. For more information on the Davis New Mexico Scholarship, visit us online at www.davisnm.org or contact Sam Ritter, Director, at [email protected]