Applications for the 2026-2027 Ersa Perez STRIDES Scholarships are now open.
Please ensure that your program is included in the current Current Accepted Programs list below before applying. If you think your program should be added to the list, please contact evalout@letsmakestrides.com and we will consider adding it to our list!
Applications are due on July 3rd, 2026!
The 2026 Ersa Perez STRIDES Scholarship
About the Scholarship
In honor of their beloved mother, Ersa Rosa Perez, siblings Monica, Agustin III, and Theodore – together with their organization, 3 in 1 Advocacy – set out to do something meaningful: create a scholarship that would carry her memory forward and open doors for individuals with IDD pursuing post-secondary education.
Their search led them to STRIDES. Moved by our shared mission and values, they knew immediately this was the right partnership. From that connection, the Ersa Perez STRIDES Scholarship was born.
This scholarship represents more than financial support – it’s a testament to a mother’s legacy and a family’s love, channeled into opportunity. Guaranteed at a minimum of $2,000, the scholarship is designed to grow: each year, Monica, Agustin III, Theodore, and STRIDES hope to raise more funds, award more scholarships, and increase the impact for students who deserve a chance to thrive in higher education. Together, we are bridging the gap between ambition and access – because every student’s dream is worth fighting for.
The Story Behind Our Efforts
Ersa Rosa Perez
Ersa was a beautiful Puerto Rican soul that grew up in “El Barrio” on the East side of Manhattan in New York City. In her family, she was the only girl of seven children being raised in the 1960’s and 1970’s in the projects of East Harlem, NY. After having her first child at the tender age of 17 and not being able to continue her education past the start of high school, she had her second child at 20 before also embracing the responsibility of four teenage brothers when her mother passed when she was 23. She had her third child many years later. However, she survived many types of abuse throughout her lifetime that propelled her into and/or exacerbated her conditions; completely altering the trajectory of her life.
Ersa’s story is not one of sadness, but one of survival! She developed various disabilities in adulthood due to her experiences that limited her capacity to reach many goals she had in life. She survived physical abuse, sexual assault, neglect, drug addiction, alcoholism, domestic violence, and more. Ersa’s disabilities were both physical and non-physical – yet she achieved successful completion of her GED exam in one sitting after not being in school for over 30 years. She also completed and earned her phlebotomy and medical assisting certificate at the tender age of 50. She always said that, had she had a chance, she would have been a veterinarian! Although she was unable to work and practice her area of expertise for too long due to her disabilities which eventually also included bipolar disorder and early onset dementia, she showed the world and proved to herself that we all have dreams that we can strive for and achieve.
In the summer of 2025, after enjoying a wonderful time with her in Texas, she returned home and visited the ER two days after arriving after feeling some chest pain. A day later, we were with her in New York City when we learned that she had stage four cancer – she nor we knew that this cancer was growing in her body. We were all surprised, devastated, and overcome by the news, but nothing was more surprising and devastating than having to say goodbye just seven short weeks later! We all thought we had more time, but God had other plans!
In honor of her, we wanted to create this scholarship as a way to celebrate her strength rather than only grieve her loss! She developed disabilities later in life, but disability is a reality of daily existence in our family: Family members with autism, cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, intellectual disability, dyslexia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, and more. “Disability” is not a one-off experience for us, but a daily part of our existence as we navigate a world not often designed for all of us to access and navigate successfully. Couple that with the fact that one of us is a certified special educator and administrator who also advocates for the education of children with disabilities and we hope that you can gather that our commitment is a personal one.
Our partnership with STRIDES is making this dream of honoring our mom through the creation of a scholarship in her name a reality!