TSC Foundation Scholarship helps students achieve their dreams

TSC students Angela Ramirez and Hector Andy Luna are two of 77 recipients that received financial assistance in the 2018-19 academic year through the TSC Foundation Scholarship.

Paying for classes has to be one of the most, if not the most, challenging obstacle almost every college student faces.

Some students have to juggle more than one job and others don't get the opportunity to go to school because they can't afford it. Federal aid is available, but that's not always enough for some students and they still need to find ways to pay for their tuition.

Hector Andy Luna, a Texas Southmost College student studying mechanical engineering, was one of those students. He was "short" on funds to pay off the rest of his tuition. One day, he saw a TSC Foundation Scholarship promotional flyer on campus that turned out to be a real game changer.

The aspiring mechanical engineer was intrigued by this financial opportunity to support his education. Luna applied for the scholarship. He was happy and relieved to hear that he was awarded the scholarship in fall 2018 and will receive $1,000 per semester.

"Without that scholarship, I would have fallen short in paying off my tuition and especially for books and things like that for my classes," Luna said. "It really did help a long way and I really appreciate receiving it."

The TSC Foundation Scholarship was created in fall 2017 with support from the TSC Foundation. The scholarship is intended to provide financial support for TSC students who do not receive sufficient federal aid to cover their tuition and fees. It was perfect for Luna.

Students who apply can receive up to $1,000 per semester and up to $4,000 for the two years a student is at TSC.

The Foundation Scholarship has awarded $131,000 to 77 students during the 2018-19 academic year.

Aside from the Foundation Scholarship, two additional scholarships are available to students through the TSC Foundation. The Finish Strong Scholarship provides financial support to students who are about to finish their last 15 credit hours and the First Year Experience Scholarship, which is for incoming TSC students.

"The (Foundation) Scholarship was created because students, of course, they receive financial aid, Pell Grants, loans so on and so forth; but sometimes that's not enough because of everything that comes with being a college student," said Larry Rideaux, TSC's vice president of student services. "As a result this Foundation Scholarship is a good way to actually supplement the money that they will receive as a result of being on financial aid."

Another beneficiary of the TSC Foundation Scholarship is Angela Ramirez whose goal is to have a career in nursing. Right now, she is taking her core classes and plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Focusing on the prize of earning her degree, she looked for ways to pay for the 6-week Certified Nursing Assistant program. Her mother encouraged her about applying for the Foundation Scholarship.

Like Luna, Ramirez applied and was awarded $1,000. Ramirez, feeling relieved to have that financial weight off her shoulders, said she can now focus on her studies instead of worrying about getting a job to pay for the program.

"Before I found out about the scholarship, I was thinking of getting a job and saving up enough money in order to be able to pay for the CNA program," Ramirez said. "When I found out later that I received the scholarship, I was extremely happy about it because that's something that's going to pay for the CNA program."

The deadline to apply for the TSC Foundation Scholarship is Oct. 15.

For more information about the TSC Foundation Scholarship and other TSC scholarships, visit the TSC financial aid website at tsc.edu/financialaid.