Alamo Community Colleges News & Events

$26,000 in LULAC Parent/Child Scholarships Puts College In Reach of Two Generations

September 14, 2007
Contact: Kay C. Hendricks
Coordinator of Communication
(210) 208-8006

Thanks to a unique scholarship program, 26 parents and their pre-school children will have the opportunity to realize their dreams of a college education. At the LULAC Rey Feo Parent/Child Scholarship awards ceremony recently, the parents, who are currently enrolled at one of the Alamo Community Colleges, each received a $1,000 scholarship. To provide them with an added incentive for academic success, once they achieve their educational goal (associate degree, certification or the first part of a transfer program) their child will be entitled to a two-year scholarship to one of the Alamo Community Colleges. One parent was also awarded the $1,000 Lisa Rose Flores Memorial Parent/Child scholarship. The LULAC Parent/Child scholarship program is the only one of its kind in the nation.

As part of the event, Dana Kurth, Reina De La Feria De Las Flores, and Tom Sandoval, president of LULAC Council No. 2, presented an oversized “check” for $26,000 to Dr. Bruce H. Leslie, chancellor of the Alamo Community Colleges, and Jackie Van De Walle, chair of the ACCD Foundation Board. The $26,000 donated for the LULAC Parent-Child scholarships will be matched by funds from the ACCD Foundation to establish an endowment which will provide the scholarships.

“This unique scholarship program not only benefits our students in the present by providing them with the support to complete their education with us, but also provides benefits into the future by offering a scholarship opportunity for their children,” said Leslie. “We are grateful to Rey Feo Brian Weiner, Reina De La Feria De Las Flores Dana Kurth and LULAC Council No. 2. for making this outstanding program possible for the past eleven years,” he added.

Anne Hernandez, a San Antonio College student and scholarship recipient, spoke at this year’s event. For Hernandez, entering college as an education major nearly 20 years after high school graduation brought home the impact that becoming a parent had on her life. Despite financial obstacles, her determination to obtain her degree and contribute to her community as a teacher has never wavered. Hernandez is determined that her son Conner receive support and encouragement from his education and achieve success as well.

The LULAC Rey Feo Parent-Child scholarship program began in 1997 with a donation of $25,000 from the LULAC Rey Feo Scholarship Committee, Inc., matched by $25,000 from the ACCD Foundation. To date, 300 students have been accepted into the program. The first recipient of the scholarships to graduate from high school will do so in 2010.