After 14 years of working to gain U.S. citizenship, Felipe Vieyra of Greeley, Colo., has invested the entirety of his time at DU to aiding those in similar situations with their pursuit of higher education.

Vieyra, a junior studying international studies and political science with a minor in Spanish, won the Pearson Prize for Higher Education for his dedication to immigration reform in the community.

The Pearson Foundation awards students who distinguish themselves through commitment to community services while completing their undergraduate studies.

The Pearson Prize focuses on providing assistance who may have been bypassed by the traditional scholarship system, whose off-campus achievements compliment their academic work or who may have discovered their passion for community work outside of class.

As the top scholarship recipient, Vieyra has received $10,000 towards his tuition.

Vieyra’s pass began when he became involved with Public Achievement, a youth civic engagement initiative that focuses on citizenship, democracy and public work. Public Achievement allows young people to create projects to enhance their community.

Vieyra worked with high school-aged students teaching community organization techniques to further enhance civic engagement in the Denver community.

Vieyra also volunteered for the past two years at El Centro Humanitario, a nonprofit organization that works with immigrant day laborers in Denver.

“My volunteering at El Centro worked to remove the stereotypes that laborers face,” said Vieyra.

Through El Centro Humanitario Vieyra developed “El Noche Cultura,” an event designed to welcome members of the Denver community into the center to see first-hand the programs offered to day laborers.

Programs such as these are established to enhance the feeling of community between immigrants and natives.

Vieyra also is involved with intramural soccer on campus.

He hopes to continue his work regarding immigration reform, particularly with Padres Unidos, a multi-issue organization emphasizing educational justice, racial justice immigrant rights and quality of healthcare for all.