“Scholarships will help me some day be able to help others through scholarships when I reach my goal of being an entrepreneur and owning my own business,” says Kevin Velasquez, NVC Alumnus. He is attending the University of Texas at San Antonio and studying entrepreneurship.
“Scholarships provide the support I need to be more successful in furthering my education without having to worry about student debt,” NVC student Sara Timmons said during the Fiesta of Thanks, this year’s Scholarship Recognition Breakfast which celebrates donors and scholarship recipient recently.
Along with NVC student Keiko Hashimoto, the three scholarship recipients shared the impact and importance of scholarships in enabling them to focus on their classes, cut down the time they need to work to earn funds for their education and be more successful in their studies.
While an NVC student, Kevin studied business and was a recipient of the CPS Energy – Dr. Homer Guevara Jr. Endowed Fund for Business, Economics and Government majors. He was active in campus organizations including Phi Theta Kappa and the National Society of Leadership and Success. He says he is inspired by his parents who immigrated to the United States.
Sara is a biology major and has received the Beverly Evans Memorial Student Life Scholarship and the USAA General Foundation Scholarship. She plans to study neuroscience to become a surgeon or engineer.
Scholarship donors attending the breakfast included Sally First and Don Mertens; Carolyn Sartori and Sabrina G. Hodges, GM Financial; Shelah Simmons, Genesis Professional Solutions and NVC Business Council Chair; Christine Crowley; James Volstad; Dr. Homer Guevara, Jr., NVC; Thomas Tamez, LULAC Rey Feo Scholarship;
Robert and Ann Stevens; Jessica Martinez, Frost Bank; and Ron Keller.
The event featured a Fiesta theme and a presentation by NVC President Dr. Ric Baser on the success of the college and its students as well the importance and need for scholarships. The Scholarship Recognition Breakfast is an annual event of the Community Development Department to recognize donors who support NVC scholarships and scholarship students. To date in this academic year, 357 NVC students have received more than $301,936 in scholarships through the Alamo Colleges Foundation.
Contributed by Lynne T. Dean, NVC Director of Institutional Advancement
