Scholarship Program Celebrates Minority Elders
By Adolfo Gonzalez
The University of Houston-Clear Lake offers many scholarships geared toward minorities who would like to continue their higher education. The Celebrating Our Elders Scholarship Program is open to any ethnic group so long as the elder they are honoring happens to be Hispanic or African-American.
“The scholarship program started about 15 years ago, in order to grant scholarships to students who have had a Hispanic or African-American elder influence them throughout their lives,” said Linda Contreras Bullock, assistant dean of student diversity, “the students have to write their story describing how their particular elder influenced them personally.”
Although this scholarship is about recognition of Hispanic and African-American elders, it is not limited to only Hispanic and African-American students. And the elders do not necessarily have to be a relative. Elders come in many shapes or forms including teachers, neighbors or friends.
To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be either a high school senior intending to enroll in a Houston-area community college in the fall of 2009, a dual enrollment student, a student currently enrolled in a Houston-area community college or a community college student transferring to a Houston-area college/university that offers a bachelor’s degree.
Students must also submit an essay along with their application about the significant elder who has influenced and supported them throughout their lives and academic career.
Review of all applications and essays begin in June 2009, and will be accepted until April 30, 2009.
The Greater Texas Foundation is partnering up with the Celebrating Our Elders Scholarship Program to make new additional scholarship awards.
“The Greater Texas Foundation came about with a $25,000 grant,” Bullock said, “This foundation helps high school students who are transferring to a community college but mainly focuses on community college students transferring to UHCL.”
The Rising to the Challenge/Celebrating Our Elders Award will be given to students who meet the eligibility criteria.
Students must be a first-generation college student and a new community college transfer student to UHCL. Students must also demonstrate financial need by way of a FAFSA application and must have a minimum transfer GPA of 2.5.
Scholarship awards range from $505 to $2000. First priority applications were due November 30, 2008, although applications were still accepted through January 2009.
The Celebrating Our Elders program is sponsored by the Office of Intercultural and International Student Services. For more information, call 281-283-2564 or e-mail
IISS@uhcl.edu.
