Scholar Stories: Edilberto Alvarez

Edilberto is the recipient of the Roberto T. Chapa Sr. Memorial Scholarship sponsored by Fiesta de Independencia. He is studying Kinesiology at the University of Texas-At San Antonio. Edilberto is the first in his family to go to college. 


"HSC has helped me achieve my goals by not only providing me with financial support through scholarships, but also with the guidance they have given me in accomplishing my goal of being able to succeed in college. HSC staff have been great mentors to every single one of us scholars. Hearing their success stories and providing us with tips on how to succeed in and after college has been really helpful in pushing me to achieve my goals." 

Edilberto has not let the obstacle of being a 1st generation college student stop him in his goal of graduating in 2016. Last year, he worked multiple jobs while maintaining his schoolwork and involvement in the Psychology Club at UTSA. Edilberto shows great perseverance through his studies and HSC is proud of all of his accomplishments!

Student Stories: Daisy Aguirre

Daisy has been in the HSC Scholar program since 2012. She is a recipient of the Dr. Janis Guerrero Thompson Memorial Scholarship. She currently pursuing a degree in Bilingual Elementary Education at the The University of Texas at Austin. 


"HSC has motivated me to keep my grades up and give to the community. HSC enforces community service and has motivated me to volunteer and get experience. I have volunteered at schools, helping the students with their work. It has helped me prepare for my future as a teacher."

Daisy credits HSC for her hard-work and perseverance throughout school. "HSC requires a strong GPA in order to maintain our scholarships. I study in advance, as well as do my homework ahead of time, which has helped me be a better student." Daisy is preparing to graduate May of 2016. After graduation, Daisy hopes to become Bilingual Elementary teacher in Austin.

Scholar Stories: Adrianne Waddell

Adrianne is a third-year law student at the University of Texas School of Law with an interest in Oil and Gas Law, Environmental Law, and Intellectual Property Law. She received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rice University in 2012. Adrianne has been an HSC Scholar since 2008. As an undergraduate student, she received the Hispanic Chamber Foundation Scholarship through the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Upon entering law school, she was awarded the State Representative Irma Rangel Memorial Scholarship funded by the Hispanic Bar Association- Austin. 

Adrianne at Rice graduation.

"HSC has supported my goals throughout my undergraduate and graduate career. HSC has enabled me to achieve these goals through it's leadership programming, support, and amazing network of professionals and resources.  My success as a student, leader, and professional are in part due to my experience as an HSC Scholar."

While in law school, Adrianne has served as President of the Chicano Hispanic Law Students’ Association and is currently Development Editor of the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal. Adrianne has clerked for the Travis County District Courts and Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody in Austin, TX. Prior to her third year, she will be working as a legal intern for Pioneer Natural Resources in Irving and Fletcher Yoder in Houston.

Adrianne was recently selected to be a Ms.JD Fellow! Ms.JD, a national organization, selected Adrianne based on her academic performance, leadership, and dedication to advancing the status of women in the profession of law.  Adrianne also gives back to HSC by serving on the HSC Alumni Association Executive Board. She is a great example of leadership and academic excellence that HSC embodies. We could not be more proud of Adrianne and all of her accomplishments. 

Scholar Stories: Tyler Angulo

Tyler is the recipient of the Hispanic Chamber Foundation Scholarship funded by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He attends Cornell University and has been in the HSC Scholar program since 2012. Tyler calls Round Rock, TX  home.

Tyler studying abroad 
in Madrid, Spain.

"The most worthwhile support that HSC has given me is through the Leadership Conferences. They are truly what sets HSC apart from every other scholarship program out there. Not only do we actually get to meet other scholars and professionals at these conferences, but they are also packed with very useful information about college, careers, and professionalism such that I become disappointed when I cannot attend. I am much more prepared walking into my last year of college as an HSC scholar rather than simply a graduate of my university."

Tyler is passionate about his involvement in Yamatai, a Japanese taiko drumming group at Cornell. As a freshman, he held leadership positions in the organization and will be serving as Music Director for his upcoming senior year. "I am happiest when leading groups, when creating something truly astonishing and magical, when  working with like-minded individuals, and when working mostly with the creative side of the brain."

Tyler plans to graduate May 2015 with a degree in Human Biology, and Health and Society. He hopes to find a career that merges his talents and interests. Tyler eventually plans pursue a post-secondary degree.  

2014 Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference

Last week, in a two-day span from July 29th to July 30th, the Hispanic Scholarship Consortim hosted its annual Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference in the Eastview campus of the Austin Community College. The conference was open to HSC Scholars to continue their path on becoming leaders in their own fields, as well as Austin ISD Hispanic freshman who were also invited to join the learning experience.  The Texas Leadership Pipeline’s primary goal was to ensure that the next generation of Hispanics are workforce-ready leaders with a philanthropic outlook once they reach their degree.  

Participants of this conference who were not HSC Scholars or Austin ISD students had the opportunity to follow one of the two tracks for the 2-day conference, the college track preferably followed by the HSC Scholars or the High School track followed by the Austin ISD students.  Each track had a variety of speakers who taught them supplemental education, such as applied skills for career achievement along with the tools for academic and personal success; however, each track focused on either college or high school.

"It's great to see so much support from our community for Hispanic students," said Ashley Moyer, Director of Development in the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium

Sessions ranged from different topics in the workplace, how to be a better student, and even the power that social media can have in a professional’s life.  

"It was great to see the participation of community members relaying the message of social media and what it means to future employers. It was a topic that is relevant to all students alike. I even learned a few things about LinkedIn that I never knew I could do!, said Ashley Vazquez, the Development Intern of the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium.

All participants gathered for an academic success panel with the St. Edward’s University CAMP Program and an interactive session with Dr. Federico Subervi.  The conference closed on Wednesday, July 30th with an Engaging Professional Luncheon where students had the opportunity to interact with successful professionals in their fields.  Furthermore, it also helped students put their networking skills to test during this experimental learning session, as well as giving the opportunity to high school studens to ask questions to HSC Scholars.

Students interact with Professionals

"Students heard from speakers about the importance of networking and finding mentors. At the Engaging Professionals Luncheon, conference participants were able to immediately take on what they learned in workshops. Community members in attendance at the luncheon came out to show their support of these students, their education and their future," said Ashley Moyer, Director of Development in the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium.

The Hispanic Scholarship Consortium thanks its generous donors, whose help made the 2014 Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference possible.

• Applied Materials Foundation
• Worldwide Clinical Trials
• HEB
• Texas Gas Service
• Comerica Bank

Also, a big shotout to ACC for being our gracious hosts!

North Austin Influencers Event

Last week North Austin Influencers hosted a mixer and silent auction at Zed's Restaurant to celebrate their first year and raise scholarship funds for both HSC and The National Black MBA Association-Austin Chapter (NBMBAA) students. Members of North Austin Influencers, NBMBAA, and HSC scholars were present to participate in the auction and mixer. During the auction HSC scholars spoke about the importance of the organization as well as how it has helped them to achieve success. Below are a few photos from the event: 

Thanks again to all the donors who gave items for the silent auction, and for the support from North Austin Influencers and NBMBAA.

Junior Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference

From June 16th to June 19th, the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium hosted their first ever Latino Leader Program, the Junior Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference, a program opened to Austin ISD Hispanic freshmen.  The conference focused on:

Evelina Solis.
Founder & President of Sol2Soul. 

1.       Developing the leadership capacity within the students to equip them to take full ownership of their lives and have the tools to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

2.       Cultivating a college-going culture.

3.       Actively promoting college and career.

4.       Taking on leadership roles.

5.       Building a sense of community.

The speakers and their workshops were centered on the themes and looked at college issues from various perspectives.  The sessions at the conference ranged from Jessica Carter, a Doctoral Student from the University of Texas at Austin, discussing the importance of a mentor to Evelina Solis’s presentation of realizing one’s dream and working towards it at a young age, because you never know if your health will always be with you.

“This really inspired as well as my own personal experiences to live my life to the fullest and to eat healthy,” said Eric, a 10th grade student at McCallum High School.

The combination of both professional speakers, current HSC scholars, and the workshops integrated the themes being presented to a more relatable viewpoint, often welcoming students to ask questions and express concerns about their futures.  Rather than having solely speakers discuss and lead conversation, several students in attendance showed a profound interest in the presentations and often sought the speaker at the end of the session to learn more about the subject.

“This session gives me a sense of mind. It is important to my future because there is a major difference between a Bachelor's and Master's degree.  Knowing that I can definitely go above what's expected is also a great motivation!,” said Stephanie, a student at Akins High School.

More than 30 students attended the conference.

Students also learned the different stereotypes that the Hispanic community has had to endure in the Hollywood movies.  Instead of focusing in the negatives aspects of those stereotypes, students were encouraged to think about it as a motivator to go beyond the expectations.

“Being Latina is important to me because I can show many others that do not believe in me that I can succeed in whatever I do.  I love my culture and I completely embrace it,” said Brianna, an enthusiastic 10th student.

The conference closed on June 19th with a tour in the University of Texas at Austin and a visit to the Texas Capitol where students heard from State Representative Eddie Rodriguez and Dr. Paul Cruz, Interim Superintendent of Austin ISD.

The Hispanic Scholarship Consortium sincerely thanks our sponsors for supporting our mission and making the Junior Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference possible!

• Austin Energy
• City of Austin
• Austin ISD