Junior Texas Leadership Pipeline Program Re-Cap

In collaboration with Austin ISD, City of Austin and Austin Energy, Jr Texas Leadership Pipeline Program,a year long program,brings high school students from across the district for quarterly sessions focused on identity, college and career readiness, service, academic success and leadership.

The first session of the Junior Texas Leadership Pipeline Program was held on Saturday November 22, 2014. The focus for the first session was for the students to learn more about different colleges around the area and to start thinking about other college-related topics such as majors and financial aid.

During the session, students collaborated together to understand the meaning of leadership. Through hands-on and group activities, students discovered new ways that they could grow as leaders in their lives, classrooms and communities. Service was another concept that was focused on during the conference. As a group, students brainstormed ideas on ways that they could engage with their community.
The next conference will be held on January 10th, 2015 during HSC's Winter Summit. High school students will have a chance to network with current HSC scholars and will also have the opportunity to tour the ACC Eastview campus.  

For more information on the Jr. Texas Leadership Pipeline Program, click here.   
                                                               

 "My vision for the future: become a good person who helps others. have a great job that really makes me feel complete, and have a family." -Diana, 10th Grade

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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.

Scholar Stories: Nathan Salazar

Nathan Salazar is a current HSC Scholar from Lubbock, TX. He is pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science at Texas State University. His expected graduation rate is May 2015. He is a recepient of the "State Representative Irma Rangel Memorial Scholarship."

"HSC and the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin have and continue to play an integral part in my pursuit of higher education.Both, HSC and the HBAA, understand the importance of taking the time to listen to their members; thus allowing them to enlist future leaders from a diverse set of backgrounds. This time investment has been crucial to my success because it has allowed me to tell my story, as a Texan with Mexican roots, from a low-income community."


Regardless of being a first generation college student, Nathan overcame many obstacles in order to achieve successfully. 

"For the most part, I have faced many obstacles as a first generation college student. For me, a major issue I have overcame is the awareness of the numberless resources available to students. From emotional guidance to financial aid advice, students must make themselves aware of how the hidden and inner workings of higher education operate. Doing so, has allowed me to adapt and use education as a tool. A tool that I have learned to use at its upmost effectiveness to achieve my duty as a productive, pro-active member of my community."


Other than being a full-time student, Nathan stays actively involved at Texas State University by completing internships, serving as a writing tutor, and staying involved with Leadership programs. "Currently, I am involved in Texas State’s Leadership Capstone Program, which is geared towards exploring the complexities of leadership.Thus far, the program has allowed me to refine my leadership skills in preparing myself for future leadership roles and has given me the opportunity to continue service to others."


In the future, Nathan hopes to go to Law School and study international law and Human Rights to become a practicing lawyer. After Law school, Nathan hopes to go back to school and attain a PhD in Political Science.

To help fund Nathan's dream of going to Law School, please donate here.

Scholar Stories: Alumni: Arturo Frausto

Arturo Frausto is a HSC Scholar Alumni from Austin, TX. He graduated from Texas State University with a Spanish Major and a International Studies Minor in 2013. He is currently employed as a New Construction Manager at KB Homes.

"HSC has helped gain confidence in my abilities to grow as a leader and a person. HSC has made me believe with personal effort and vision goals can be accomplished through actions, not just dreaming."

Arturo shares his current goals and his personal and educational plans for the future.
"My goal is to do my job well and strive as a construction manager to build rapport with vendors in the construction industry.In my personal life I strive to grow in virtues such as discipline, courage, decision making. In my academic career I have given a thought to go to Graduate School but I have not come across a career that interests me that would move me to apply."

Arturo shares some key advice that he learned from his time at Texas State University.
"My advice to college students would be strive to get your work done between 9 and 4 each day. If you do so, you’ll have time to get involved in different organization that will help you grow and meet new people. Go to your career services and build up your resume. Life gets real and reach out if you need it. Remember, you have to “make moves, make something happen, take action, do a little digging (find information about a topic) ask, ask ask!” You shouldn’t wait to be handed everything. (Advice from my career field).

To help create more leaders like Arturo, please donate here.

Scholar Stories: Alumni: Krysta Atkinson

Krysta Atkinson is an HSC Alumni who graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work  in 2012. She is a native of Killeen, TX and is currently employed as a Administrative/Scholarship Program Coordinator at UT-Austin.


"As a first generation student I was so thankful for the financial support from HSC. Decreasing the financial burden took a huge weight off my mother's shoulders and my own. Getting my bachelor's degree was such a great accomplishment for me and for my family. It was something my mother had always wanted for me. HSC contributed greatly to my professional development by teaching me how to interact/network with other professionals and excel in an interview situation. I can say that this knowledge helped me to gain the knowledge and skills I needed to be a working professional."

Krysta plans to continue with her education and earn a PhD as well as work with non-profit organizations.
"I would like to continue my education in a Master's program, and later a PhD program. I would like to work in the non-profit or government sector to contribute to public policy changes and funding for education and assisting low income families. I would continue to enjoy working with under represented students and supporting them with academic resources and mentoring."

"HSC, the staff and board members have a wealth of knowledge and experience - do not hesitate to use your resources.

Time management is probably one of the biggest skills I benefited from as a student - balancing my time well truly helped me to succeed."

To help fund student's dream of reaching their educational goals, donate here.

Scholar Stories: Nathaniel Buescher

Nathaniel is a recipient of the Hispanic Chamber Foundation Scholarship funded by Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation. He attends Stanford University pursuing a Civil Engineering major and has been in the HSC Scholar program since 2013. Nathaniel is a native of Austin, TX.

"For many first-generation Hispanic students, applying to college is just half the battle. Finding ways to fund a college education and then beginning a journey that your family cannot relate to can prove to be an even more daunting task. However, when I thought I was alone to begin my college career, HSC was there to provide the network of support that I needed to become a successful student at Stanford University. Through professional development workshops, regular one-on-one advising sessions, internship/networking/research opportunities, and bi-annual leadership conferences for its scholars, HSC provides more than just financial aid. They provide the tools and resources that not only ensure that Hispanics are going to college, but that they graduate to become high achieving individuals in whatever they choose to do. HSC has given me the confidence to thrive throughout my first year at Stanford University!"

This past summer, Nathaniel had the opportunity to volunteer in Quito, Ecuador through Stanford's Volunteers in Latin America (VILA) program. He spent two months with other volunteers to organize and implement summer programs for street children in the city. Additionally, Nathaniel returned to Austin and volunteered at HSC's Junior Texas Leadership Pipeline Conference. At the conference, Nathaniel shared his experiences as a first-generation college student and how he holds many leadership roles on-campus as a freshman.

Nathaniel is currently pursing a B.S in Civil Engineering in order to prepare him for work in water resourcing for developing communities where water is scarce. He also plans to stay involved in helping other first-generation, low-income students overcome the obstacles that they face during their journey to higher education.

To help other scholars like Nathaniel, please donate here.