Scholar Stories: Carmen D. Mercedez

Carmen Mercedez is a recipient of the "Dr. Janis Guerrero Thompson Memorial Scholarship" funded by the Austin Capital Area Community Leadership Council. She is a native of Las Vegas, NV and is expected to graduate on May 2015 from the University of Texas at Austin.
 
"HSC has been an integral part of my graduate school experience. Not only has the organization provided my family and I financial support to help pay for my PhD, but it has also provided emotional support through mentoring, workshops, leadership conferences and opportunities to network with other scholars and professionals."

Carmen has successfully overcame many obstacles as a first-generation college student. After attaining a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics Educations and a Masters in Mathematics from UT-Austin, she uses her experience and knowledge to guide others in the same direction.

"As the first member in my family to graduate from high school, I knew very little about navigating college. Now, as a PhD candidate at the University of Texas-Austin majoring in Educational Administration, I am able to help others navigate and succeed in post-secondary settings, through my own lived experiences."

Carmen learned to navigate through college despite being the first in her family to attend college. Although she was faced with many struggles along the road, she did not let her hardships stop her from achieving her goals.
"Although I have experienced many hardships as a student, they have not stopped me from making my dream a reality. Juggling multiple jobs, kids, and school continues to bring me greater challenges but it has also made me stronger. I have endured much but through it all I know I have had the support of my HSC family---something I will value for years to come."

Carmen is actively involved at her campus in which she serves as a guide for mainly first-generations students. She has also had the opportunity to volunteer at Explore UT and study abroad.
"At the UT-Austin, I have been actively involved in the Gateway Scholars program and in research through Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success). This has led me to conduct several research projects, present at numerous conferences and attend several of their conferences."

In the future, Carmen plans to be a college professor. She gains experience by helping individuals earn college degrees and earn a living wage.


To donate to hard-working scholars like Carmen, please click here.

Hispanic Scholarship Consortium's Gala Espiritu Re-Cap

It was a fantastic evening on October 30th as Hispanic Scholarship Consortium celebrated 10 years of scholarship, mentorship and leadership.

The night started off with dinner provided by Habaneros, followed by HSC Awards and also silent auction.

Congratulations to The University of Texas-Division for Diversity & Community Involement for the Latinidad Award, U.S Representative Joaquin Castro & HUD Secretary Julian Castro for the Servant Leadership Award, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the Opportunity Award, Con Mi Madre for the Academic Success Award, and John Hogg & David Garza for the Dr. David B. Garcia Leadership Award.

From participating in the silent auction to attending the awards ceremony, over 120+ supporters of HSC attended the gala.

"It was great to have so many new and old supporters out to celebrate the last decade of HSC, director of Development Ashley Moyer said. "There was a very powerful moment when any one who has supported HSC in the past or believes in the mission of HSC was asked to stand. I looked around and the whole room was on their feet."

HSC would like to thank all the local businesses that donated supplies/services/food for the event.

"We received many donated items for the silent auction, intern Stephanie Espinoza said, " It is great to know the amount of  local Austin businesses that are willing to support non-profit organizations like HSC."

This event could not have been possible without the HSC Board of Directors,staff, interns, donors, sponsors and all the supporters.

"I want to thank everyone who made this night possible," intern Fabiana Melendez said. "It was an amazing experience to have been part of planning and attending the gala."

For the past 10 years, many accomplishments have been made at HSC, and there are bright plans in the future for the organization.

Many thanks go out to The University of Texas-At Austin Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Concordia University, H-E-B,SOS Leadership, and Tito's handmade Vodka for sponsoring Gala Espiritu.

HSC will continue to strive to fund raise in order to continue to change student's life. Our goal is to assist many students that are promising leaders of tomorrow.

"HSC is always there for us in case we need any support." scholar Pablo Villalobos said.

If you were unable to attend, but would still like to show your support, you can make a donation online at 

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/hispanicscholar

To view the rest of the pictures, check out our Facebook page here.