Pinto-Fialon Scholarships(Graduate and Undergraduate)

Pinto-Fialon Scholarships (Graduate and Undergraduate)

The Pinto-Fialon Fund was established thanks to the generosity of Arthur Ferreira Pinto and Annette Fialon. UC Berkeley alumnus and chemist Arthur Ferreira Pinto (1901-1991) was originally from Aveiro, Portugal. He emigrated to the US in 1920, working on farms and sawmills in the Sacramento Delta and taking high school courses at night. Pinto entered the University of California, studying chemistry and despite his hardships graduated in 1942, at age 40. He developed and published a method to analyze copra and oilseeds, and invented and patented laboratory equipment. In 1949 he joined the US Army Chemical Corps as a chemical control inspector, left in 1959 to travel abroad, returned to work as a chemist for the State of California, and retired in 1968. Upon retirement, he traveled abroad for six years, then returned to Berkeley, where he lived until his death at age 90. Annette Fialon was a Berkeley High School French Teacher, who spent her retirement years with Mr. Pinto in Berkeley and on frequent trips abroad until her death in 1985. Both Mr. Pinto and Ms. Fialon left their estates to the University of California, and their generosity makes it financially possible for many Portuguese and Portuguese-American students to attend UC Berkeley.

The Pinto-Fialon scholarships are open to all degree-seeking students, who are officially admitted to the University of California Berkeley and who are either Portuguese (i.e. with Portuguese citizenship) or Portuguese-American (i.e. US citizens who have at least one parent or grandparent with Portuguese citizenship). In order to be eligible for a Pinto-Fialon scholarship, graduate students must already be accepted into a regular UC Berkeley PhD or MA degree program through the competitive application process. Students enrolled in self-supporting professional MA programs are not eligible for Pinto-Fialon funding.

When applying for Pinto-Fialon support, students must provide documentation of Portuguese citizenship (either for themselves or, if they are US citizens, their parents/grandparents). US citizens will be required to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form (available at any Financial Aid Office) so that their financial need may be determined and, if necessary, the amount of Pinto-Fialon funding can be adjusted; continuing students should have already received FAFSA renewal applications.

Pinto-Fialon Scholarships are not automatically awarded to all eligible students and are not automatically renewed. The conditions for attribution and renewal of the fellowships are described below.

For more information, please contact the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director at CSP@berkeley.edu

I) UC Berkeley Undergraduate Students

In accordance with the above described terms and eligibility requirements of the Pinto-Fialon Scholarship Fund, all degree-seeking undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley are welcome to join the Portugal-Berkeley Program. They do so by submitting their application by the June 30 deadline here:

Upon joining the Program, students will be added to a listserv that will keep them informed about CSP activities and other opportunities relevant to strengthen their connection with Portugal. Students will also receive a fellowship of $6,000.

This fellowship of $6,000 is annually renewable until completion of the undergraduate degree. At the end of each academic year, students can reapply for the annual fellowship by sending a report to the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director at CSP@berkeley.edu by June 30, informing about the major(s) and minor(s) they are enrolled in and the courses they have taken. Only upon the reception and approval of this report by the CSP Faculty Director, the funding will be renewed.

The Luso-American Financial Fellowship Opportunity. Students in the Portugal-Berkeley Program who are not native speakers of Portuguese and show a commitment to learning the Portuguese language can receive additional financial support by adding to their annual report proof of the successful completion (passing grade) of a Portuguese language course at the UC Berkeley Department of Spanish & Portuguese (Portuguese 50, 102, or 103) or any Portuguese language course at a Portuguese university. Upon approval by the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director, they will have their fellowship increased by $1,000 for one year with the support of the Luso-American Financial Fund.

II) UC Berkeley Masters Students

In accordance with the above described terms and eligibility requirements of the Pinto-Fialon Scholarship Fund, all degree-seeking MA students at the University of California, Berkeley are welcome to join the Portugal-Berkeley Program.

Students can apply by submitting their application by the June 30 deadline here:

At the end of each academic year, students can reapply for the $8,000 fellowship by sending a report to the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director at CSP@berkeley.edu by June 30, informing about the courses they have taken and the progress they have made in preparation of their thesis. Only upon the reception and approval of this report by the CSP Faculty Director, the funding will be renewed.

The $8,000 fellowship is renewable for a period of maximum two years. Upon completing the second year of study, students can request a third and final year of funding in a letter to the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director at CSP@berkeley.edu by June 30 that is accompanied by a letter from the UC Berkeley Departmental faculty MA adviser, confirming that the student is in good standing and supporting the student in their request. Only upon the reception of both letters and approval by the CSP Faculty Director, the funding will be renewed.

Note: Students admitted to professional (self-supporting) MA programs at the University of California, Berkeley, are allowed to join the Portugal-Berkeley Program, but do not qualify for the annual fellowship.

III) UC Berkeley Doctoral Students

In accordance with the above described terms and eligibility requirements of the Pinto-Fialon Scholarship Fund, all degree-seeking doctoral students at the University of California, Berkeley are welcome to join the Portugal-Berkeley Program.

Students can apply by submitting their application by the June 30 deadline here:

When forming their dissertation faculty committee, students admitted to the Program are required to add one faculty member based at a Portuguese university to the PhD committee, with formal approval of the UC Berkeley Departmental faculty graduate adviser. Students are free to choose the Portugal-based faculty member, for which they can request the assistance of the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive director.

At the end of each academic year, students can reapply for the $10,000 fellowship by sending a report to the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director at CSP@berkeley.edu by June 30, informing about the courses they have taken, the progress they have made in preparation of their dissertation, and, once the dissertation committee has been formed, the cooperation with the Portugal-based faculty member. Only upon the reception and approval of this report by the CSP Faculty Director, the funding will be renewed. No requests for a renewal of the funding will be accepted for students who did not add a Portugal-based faculty member to their dissertation committee.

The $10,000 fellowship is annually renewable for a period of maximum six years. Upon completing the fifth year of study, students can request a seventh and final year of funding in a letter to the Center for Portuguese Studies Executive Director at CSP@berkeley.edu by June 30 that is accompanied by a letter from the UC Berkeley Departmental faculty graduate adviser, confirming that the student is in good standing and supporting the student in their request. Only upon the reception of both letters and approval by the CSP Faculty Director, the funding will be renewed.

Topics

Grants & Fellowships - Graduate Students topic page, Grants & Fellowships - Undergraduates topic page, Portuguese Studies topic page

Pinto-Fialon Scholarships(Graduate and Undergraduate)