Tuesday, November 10, 2015

2015 AISD Latino Leaders Fall Conference


The Latino Leaders Fall Conference was a true success! Not even the down pour could stop our motivated and enthusiastic group of Austin ISD students. The conference fell on Halloween, so we were able to take full advantage of the spooky holiday by starting off with some very impressive pumpkin decorating; the theme? Our local colleges, of course! Our high school students worked in teams to research facts about schools including Huston-Tillotson University, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin Community College, Texas State University, Concordia University Texas, Saint Edward’s University, and Southwestern University.

After sharing some insight about these Texas schools students got the chance to converse with our visiting HSC Scholars. This is often times the favorite and most rewarding part of our conferences. Students get to voice their interests, questions, and concerns with our knowledgeable scholars who can share their personal experiences. These conversations are a treat for both, our high school students and our scholars.


Our 2015 AISD Latino Leaders showed their Halloween spirit by coming dressed up as what they aspire to be in the future. Our Halloween costume contest was won by Maria, who sported her dance team gear. She told us about her passion for dance, and her interest in joining a dance team in college. There were other creative and inspiring costumes, like Landry’s costume. She came dressed to impress and ready to help students with learning disabilities. This is a cause that’s close to Landry’s heart, and a career path she wishes to pursue. Other students’ costumes showcased their love for music, interest in forensic science, and appreciation for an older sibling who has paved the way by graduating college.


The 2015 AISD Latino Leaders Fall Conference was filled with college spirit, motivated and driven students, and a handful of Halloween treats. We hope all students who attended were able to walk away with some helpful insight on the colleges that were researched and new connections to other AISD Latino Leaders.  The HSC team and our scholars look forward to the next opportunity to interact with new and returning AISD Latino Leaders! 




Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Scholar Stories: Scholar Barbara Falcon-Mendoza



Scholar Barbara Falcon-Mendoza with Rep. Justin Rodriguez 
HSC scholars are active both in their education and as members of their communities. Our scholars participate in a multitude of internships, volunteer for causes they are passionate about, and are active in both student and off campus organizations.
 Barbara Falcon-Mendoza, sophomore, is an example of this type of initiative.
During the Spring 2015 semester, Barbara interned under Representative Justin Rodriguez as a part of the Frank Madla & Irma Rangel Texas Legislative Internship Program at St. Mary’s University. Barbara, who was a freshman at the time, was the youngest student to participate in the internship as it is usually an internship offered to upperclassmen. However, because of her passion for the subject and ambition to participate in the internship asked for an exemption; which her professor readily approved.
Scholars Barbara Falcon-Mendoza and Nathan Salazar
interning with Rep. Justin Rodriguez
During her time as an intern in the Texas Legislature, Barbara helped with the research and drafted bills, answered constituent’s letters and emails, and met with people, companies, and interest groups on behalf of her representative. Barbara was excited to share her experiences at her internship, stating, “It was very interesting environment to be the youngest person participating in the program. I was able to learn and meet amazing people, and helped the representative I interned for, be the voice for millions of people in Texas.”
Barbara is a Political Science major at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio whose dream is to one day open a non-profit organization and law firm that specializes in the aid of women and children. With this goal, she took “extra time to make sure I understood everything, and would stay late reading and re-reading bills and documents; even though I wasn’t paid.” Another one of Barbara’s long term goals is to one day run for the Texas Senate and then eventually the US Senate.

“My ultimate goal is to encourage other students, like me, to follow their dreams no matter the cost, barriers, or odds. I want to inspire someone else to believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know I have a plateful of goals, with a whole life ahead of me and endless possibilities, but if I play my cards right I’ll reach my goals and inspire others along the way. My personal motto is: believe in your dreams, and everyone else will follow suit,” Barbara says.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

2015 HSC Summer Leadership Conference

Participants visit Charles Schwab  photo by Gabrielle A. Bernard
     HSC’s Summer Leadership Conference came to a close last Friday; here is a small recap of events for those who were not able to attend. The two day conference was held from July 30-31 at Austin Community College - Eastview Campus. Participating in the conference were current scholars, applicants for the coming fall, and current AISD high school students.  The two day conference was packed with sessions from speakers, alumni and Austin professional panels, and a special guest appearance.
Participants visit Applied Materials photo by Clara Neri
   
     The Summer Conference was formatted to accommodate scholars and applicants into a college track separate from AISD students who were placed into a high school track. These different tracks allowed for the scheduling of speakers, workshops, and events specific to these groups. College track students participated in sessions that covered a wide range of topics including self-awareness, empowerment, Latino identity, financial literacy, and ended with site visits.

Vince Young and applicant Michaela photo by Stephen Spillman
During the same time, high school track students participated in sessions including advice on college entrance exams, a panel by local industry professionals, a mini-mentoring sessions with HSC Scholars, and ended with a tour of St. Edward’s University. In addition to all the
speakers and events, HSC was also honored to host special guest, speaker and former NFL football quarterback, Vince Young. Overall, the conference was deemed a success with scholars, applicants, and AISD students walking away with positive feelings about their time spent.

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Monday, June 29, 2015

Scholar Stories: Alumni: Angie M. Bautista-Chavez



Just two years ago Angie M. Bautista-Chavez was a senior at Rice University graduating with Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Policy Studies. Now, she is in her third year as a Ford Foundation Fellow in the Department of Government at Harvard University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D in American Politics with a focus on race, ethnicity, immigration, and minority representation. As an undergraduate, Angie was not only a HSC Scholar, but also received the American Political Science Association Minority Fellowship, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, and the 2012 Motty Rich Scholarship for Outstanding Service.
As impressive as all her accomplishments are, she was once just a regular high school senior with fears and anxiety about college. Angie is a first generation college student in her Mexican immigrant family. Even now as a Ph.D. student she remembers too well the struggles of applying and graduating from college during her undergraduate years. Angie still recalls the friction between her dreams of college and pressures from her family, “I think a lot of first generation children of immigrants feel pressure from their family. My parents at first didn’t want me to go because they were scared of me moving away.” Angie remembers the anxiety of making the decision to go to college, but she says with the encouragement of her high school teachers and the assistance from HSC she was able to overcome it. She says, “A big moment for me was when I got into HSC and one of the first things you do is go to your first leadership conference. This was really big for me because it was the first time I had seen a room full of Latino(a) leaders. It was the first time I felt proud of being Latina.”
Angie also believes that her passion for community outreach was strongly influenced by her time in the HSC Scholars Program. “I’m just really glad that I was a part of HSC at the beginning of my undergrad. It really shaped those four years. HSC’s mission to not only provide financial support but create leaders in the community really stuck with me.” As an undergraduate, Angie was a part of several community impact and outreach programs including DREAM-Achievement through Mentorship, a Rice University mentoring program that pairs University students studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) majors with small groups of high school students. There she managed and led the program’s logistics and mentoring teams at Chavez High School in Houston, TX, and administered physics lessons herself as head-mentor. She was also president of a program that focused on teaching adults English.
Angie’s passions have now translated into her career choice. After receiving her Ph.D, Angie plans to continue as a researcher and become a professor at a top university. Angie is constantly checking back in with HSC to see how she can help support HSC scholars even though she lives halfway across the country. She has provided resume tips and checklists for applying to graduate school. Angie is a model of the HSC Scholars Program mission and we are so proud to have her as part of the family.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Alumni of the Week: Simon Andrade




Simon Andrade is currently a Project Officer at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He received his Masters of Public Health at Tulane University in 2012. "Entering college, I was not completely sure of what career path within the health professions I would choose. Thanks to the scholarship awarded by HSC, I was able to pursue an unpaid internship at the health department in Austin; this experience pointed me in the direction of public health research as a career. HSC also assisted with professional development and networking, which I utilized ​in my applications to graduate school. After earning my BA in Biology from UT Austin, I enrolled in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA."

Throughout Simon's educational career, he was highly involved with his community that resulted in international research conducted in South America.
"HSC continued to support me financially and professionally throughout my MPH program. During grad school, I volunteered, completed internships, and even conducted international research. As a young, queer ​Latino, I am especially passionate about combating HIV/AIDS through early detection of the infection and easy access to care for the groups most disproportionately affected by the virus."

Simon Andrade pays it forward by helping his community by sharing his experience and networking with current scholars. He believes that it is important to support the next generation of leaders.
"As a way of paying it forward, I regularly share research/internship opportunities for minority students with our current scholars and jump at any opportunity to speak with scholars who are interested in Public Health. Please consider paying it forward and help another Latino/a student gain the confidence to pursue his or her dreams. Investing in higher education for Latinos means building up the next generation of health researchers and practitioners who possess an array of meaningful experiences and the cultural competency required to face today’s health disparities."

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Latino Leaders Program Spring Session: Re-Cap

The Latino Leaders Program Spring Conference was held on Saturday March 28th, 2015. The conference consisted of 40 freshmen and sophomore participants from AISD high schools. During the conference, students learned about: budgeting, vocabulary words, resumes, and college life.


During the first session, Alejandra De La Torre, State Farm agent, got a chance to show the participants the types of financial responsibility that came along with adulthood. The session consisted of working in different teams and budget for a place to live, car, etc. The participants quickly realized how important budgeting can be. Micaela, a student at Anderson High School said, "I learned how much it costs to live on your own with a budget."


The second session was presented by HSC's Director of Development, Ashley Moyer. The students learned valuable vocabulary that they will run into during the college process. Students played a matching game that involved group work and critical thinking. Following the vocabulary session, Annie Hinojosa, a St.Edward's Financial Aid Advisor came to emphasize that college was possible for anyone. She gave a talk about the different resources that could help students continue their education. An important acronym, ACE, was introduced to the students: Achieve, Compare, and Excel. At the end of the session, Karina, student at Akins High School said, "The most valuable thing I learned today was A.C.E, because it's easy to remember and a good plan".



The third session was "Resume 101", presented by Stephanie Espinoza, St. Edward's student. The workshop consisted of breaking down the resume section by section to better explain what goes in each section. Students got the opportunity to create their own resume, and see the importance of staying involved with their school and community.


The last session was a round table discussion conducted by HSC Scholars. Scholars got a chance to discuss majors such as Education, STEM, Communication, and other majors. When asked what the most beneficial part of the day was Emily, student at Bowie High School said,"The most beneficial part of the day was the discussions with the current college students." 

We would like thank all of our guest speakers for coming to speak at our Spring Latino Leaders Program session.

The next conference will be held late July 2015 at the ACC Eastview Campus. For more information on the JTLPP go here.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Scholar Stories: Andrew Arebalo

Andrew Arebalo is a native of Fort Worth, Texas. He is currently a J.D Candidate at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. He expects to graduate in 2017. He received a Bachelor's in Public Administration from Texas State in 2014. Andrew is a recipient of the State Representative Irma Rangel Memorial Scholarship funded by Hispanic Bar Association-Austin.

"HSC had provided me with an opportunity to expand my academic career further than I had originally planned, through the help of a scholarship. Although, the scholarship has helped finance my undergrad and law school expenses the most valuable asset that HSC has provided me with was through the help of their leadership conventions. These conventions have heightened my in leadership, networking, professional skills, and most importantly giving back to the community."

As a first-generation college student, Andrew did not have the complete grasp on what was needed to continue higher education. During his junior year in high school, he took on the motive to research on his own and discover the many resources that he had around him.
"Graduating from high school, at that time, was my biggest accomplishment, because at one point graduating was not part of plan. Being a first-generation college student was not easy. Now I am at one of the top law schools in the country and I owe a lot of thanks to HSC for helping me getting to this point in my life."

While in Law School, Andrew is highly involved on campus. He is part of the part of The Human Rights Quarterly, which is one of the most prestigious human rights journals in the country. He is also a member of the Member of the First-Generation Law Student Society, Criminal Law Society, Employment Law Society, as well as the Public Interest Law Society.

After graduating, Andrew plans to return to Texas and practice Education or Civil Rights Law. He also plans on getting more involved in the political field in Texas.
"I believe that education is the most important issue that our country should be focusing on today. I plan to implement a better education policy; my philosophy is that education is the key to success."

To support hard-working scholars like Andrew, please donate here.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Scholar Stories: Angelica Ruvalcaba

Angelica Ruvalcaba is a recipient of the David Andrew Ramirez Memorial Scholarship sponsored by Austin Capital Area CLC. She is a native of Round Rock, TX and is majoring in Sociology at Texas A&M University- College Station. She is expecting to graduate in May of 2017.
"HSC has pushed me to become more independent, responsible, and outspoken. They have given me the skills and opportunities to become the leader I am today. This has enabled me to participate in multiple organizations,conferences, and events in which I was able to create a network with incredible peers and professors across the state of Texas."

As a first generation college student, Angelica faced unknown obstacles. With perseverance, she was able to face obstacles and continue her path of success.
"HSC has always been available for assistance. The staff has been a reliable resource for any college related question that I have had. HSC has also assisted me in networking with professionals in my future career; therefore allowing me to envision a bigger and brighter future than I had ever imagined that I would be able to reach."

At Texas A&M, Angelica is highly involved on campus. She is involved in an organization called "Council for Minority Student Affairs" that is focused on creating awareness about political and social issues that affect the minority community. "We inform and encourage youth in our community to continue their education. We are very active on campus in order to create positive impacts."

Angelica, along with some colleagues, was able to make a big impact on Latino studies and the Texas A&M curriculum. "We saw that Texas A&M was not properly offering courses that taught the impacts on Latinos in the United States, and therefore worked on getting signatures from students and faculty stating that they wanted a Latino and Mexican American Studies minor."

After months of working on the "Mexican American Studies" project, Angelica and her group was able to make an impact on campus. Starting Spring 2015, Texas A&M University was able to offer the Mexican American Studies minor.

In the future, Angelica wishes to travel as much as possible and prepare for her career as a Social Worker. "I believe that the more cultures I experience, the more tolerant and understanding I will become of those who differ from me. I would then like to take these experiences and apply it to my career. "




To donate to hard-working and deserving scholars like Angelica, please click here.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Scholar Stories: Gracia Arellano Manzanares


Gracia, a recipient of the Ben M. Sifuentes family scholarship, is pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin. She is majoring in English Literature and minoring in Latin American Studies.
As a first generation Latina college student, Gracia is excited to be graduating in May 2016. Although her undergraduate journey has not been without challenge, she has continued to persevere and work towards achieving her educational goals. Gracia’s undergraduate journey began at Williams College in the Fall 2011. Through the rigorous academics of the college and the emphasis on writing, Gracia learned to challenge herself and think analytically. At Williams, she also gained valuable leadership skills that shaped her character and motivated her to think about the impact individuals can make in a community. She was the Events Coordinator and Community Organizer of Vista, a Latino/a organization, for two years.
In March 2014, Gracia became a mother to a lovely and energetic baby boy who filled her life with new meaning and purpose. After taking a short semester break from school to enjoy the newborn months of her son, she resumed her studies in the Fall 2014 at The University of Texas at Austin. Balancing motherhood and full time studies has not been ideal at times, but Gracia has learned to manage her time to excel in her studies and spend time with her family.
After graduation, Gracia wants to start a career in education as an English Literature teacher. She hopes to inspire young minds to appreciate the power of words and the importance of writing. Gracia also wants to give back to her community by helping college bound students through the college application process. In her spare time, Gracia enjoys going on walks with her little family and writing lyrics and poems.

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



Wednesday, February 4, 2015

JTLPP: Winter Summit Re-Cap

WINTER SUMMIT: JANUARY 24,2015


After postponing the Winter Summit (the second session of the JTLPP) in early January due to inclement weather, the re-scheduled second session was held on Saturday, January 24th, 2015. The focus of the summit was on leadership, and ways to get students involved in their community. Another topic that was covered was overcoming the obstacles that could get in students’ way, especially for many that are future first generation college students.


During the session, students worked with an array of professionals in different workshops to understand the different ways they could grow as leaders. The speakers conducting the workshop sessions discussed how to turn student’s talents into strengths, how to identify the values that help shape who they are, and what obstacles may occur while trying to attain a higher education. Towards the end of the workshop, the high school students got the opportunity to sit with HSC scholars and interns to ask any questions they had about college. Many of the students stated that they were happy that they got the chance talk one-on-one with current university students about their experiences.


When asked about how the summit enriched their lives, a tenth grade student said that “leadership is not just something that you need to put on college or career applications but it is something you need to do in life” while another stated that these sessions were important to their future “because where I come, from I’m not expected to go to college”.

The next conference will be on March 28th, 2015 at the ACC Eastview Campus. For more information on the JTLPP go here.