Joseph Ta
The Cuban Research Institute is happy to announce that FIU graduate student Joseph Ta is the winner of the 2022–23 José Antonio Echeverría Scholarship. Joseph is enrolled in the master's program in Forensic Science at Florida International University.
Joseph Ta was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. A second-generation Asian American, he was raised mostly by a single mother who immigrated from Japan and recently earned her U.S. citizenship. His father came from Vietnam to the United States. Joseph obtained a B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2021. His academic goals in FIU's forensic science program are to research forensic chemistry/toxicology, fire science, or DNA typing.
Joseph is involved in politics and the José Antonio Echeverría gave him insight on a person that he probably would not have known otherwise. It also has given him the opportunity to research the history of Cuba, particularly the Cuban revolution and the turmoil that occurred during the 1950s and 1960s. He identified with Echeverría's globalist perspective and as a fellow young student to see his revolutionary movement against an oppressive regime is truly an individual to idealize.
The José Antonio Echeverría Scholarship was created in 2007 by relatives and friends of José Antonio, led by his sister Lucy Echeverría. The purpose of the scholarship is to promote the understanding of the political, social, and economic realities of 1950s Cuba, and in particular of the life and legacy of José Antonio Echeverría. Since its creation, the scholarship has benefited fourteen FIU students, both graduate and undergraduate, by contributing to support their tuition and other educational expenses.
For any questions about the José Antonio Echeverría Scholarship, please contact the Cuban Research Institute at cri@fiu.edu.
