2024 John Egerton Prize Winner: Pupusas for Education
Pupusas for Education is a North Carolina-based nonprofit that provides scholarships to undocumented and DACAmented students pursuing higher education. Launched in 2016, the organization has evolved into an expansive community development organization known as People for Equity, aimed at building a coalition of leaders to effect systemic change.
Each year, the organization supports up to eight scholars through partnerships with universities including the University of Richmond, Durham Tech, Wake Tech, and more. Pupusas for Education also facilitates youth- and community-led programs and projects; hosts wellness, art, and healing retreats for students from middle school to college; and offers financial planning and wealth building strategies and services. In 2025, a new community food truck program will practice equitable food oriented development to launch a shared food truck business model that supports food entrepreneurs and addresses food inequality in their communities.
Pupusas for Education’s leadership team includes:
Jeymi Dubon Reyes, Scholar Access & Wellness Coordinator
Cecilia Polanco, Director of Community Growth and Outreach
Rubi Herrera Franco, Director of Organizational Growth and Strategy
Valeria Sosa Garnica, Strategic Financial Advisor
Antonio Alanis, Grant Writer
The John Egerton Prize, endowed by SFA member contributions, awards $5,000 each year to those people or organizations in the American South who exhibit exceptional creativity, apply the rubric of food and drink to their work, and show the potential to make a genuine difference in one or more fields.
To share the story of the Egerton Prize winner, SFA also produces a film. The 2024 film, directed by Iximché Media, premiered at the 2024 Southern Foodways Symposium in Raleigh, NC, on October 27.
