The Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation recently gathered in Salcedo, Dominican Republic, for the Second Annual Rosario’s Initiative Scholarship Celebration, recognizing the determination and accomplishments of the young women at the heart of the program.
Rosario’s Initiative was launched in 2025 as a collaboration between the Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation and Ambassador Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, a trailblazing diplomat, attorney and policymaker, and the first woman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra.
The initiative grew from a simple belief: talent and ambition are everywhere, but opportunity is not always equally available. Supporting young women in pursuing higher education can give them greater power to determine the course of their own lives—and, in turn, contribute to the communities around them.
Since its launch, Rosario’s Initiative has provided university scholarships to at least 20 young women from Salcedo who have demonstrated a strong commitment to their education and determination to achieve their goals.
But the initiative’s reach extends beyond its scholarship recipients. Rosario’s Initiative also supports the maintenance of school buses that transport hundreds of students in Salcedo, helping address one of the most basic barriers to education: simply being able to get to school.
For the Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation, educational access means more than tuition. It means helping create the conditions that allow young people to continue learning, pursue their ambitions, and build the futures they envision for themselves.
The celebration brought together scholarship recipients with Ambassador Reynoso Pantaleón; Laura Acosta, Founder and Executive Director of the Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation; and Lilliam Perez, Vice President of Government & Community Relations at Montefiore Health System.
Held at the beautiful Abuelito’s by Euri’s in Salcedo, the gathering was an opportunity not only to recognize what these young women have already accomplished, but also to hear about what they hope to accomplish next.
Above all, the celebration belonged to the scholars themselves: young women pursuing university degrees, imagining their futures, and preparing to take their place in the professions and communities they will help shape.
To our scholars: we are proud to stand with you. The future needs your voices, your ideas, and your leadership.
