Thirty Students Recognized at Annual LULAC Scholarship Dinner

: Category: Front Page News Front Page News; Published: 03 August 2015 03 August 2015

Photos and Article by Shirin McArthur

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) held its annual Scholarship and Student of the Month Awards Celebration at Western New Mexico University on Saturday, August 1. Twenty-two students were awarded college scholarships and eight high school students were recognized for their leadership and achievements.

WNMU graciously hosts the scholarship celebration each year. University President, Dr. Joseph Shepard, announced that, in memory of recently deceased LULAC member and former WNMU employee, Mike Montes, WNMU was committing to a fifteen-credit, four-year scholarship to WNMU. Shepard stated that Montes was one of the first people he met when he arrived in Silver City, and that the LULAC scholarship dinner was the first formal event he attended as President of WNMU.

Keynote speaker for the evening was a former LULAC scholarship recipient, Dr. Mona Flores, who attended WNMU, worked as a nurse at Gila Regional Medical Center, got her medical degree at UNM and specialized in family, women and sports medicine. She now works for Hidalgo Medical Services and encouraged the students to persevere in their work, noting that the road to success is long, and sometimes lonely, but that success does come with sacrifice, faith and hard work.

Fr. Henry Hoffman, Chair of the LULAC Scholarship Committee, began the awards portion of the evening by inviting everyone present to join LULAC and support students by recommending ways to raise additional funds for scholarships. He also encouraged all the scholarship recipients to join LULAC and support its work in the community.

Each scholarship recipient gave a short speech as he or she received their award. Returning college students shared their experiences and stories of their activities, while entering college freshmen spoke about their hopes for college and dreams for the future.

Many scholarships are named in honor or memory of family and friends of LULAC members. This year was the first year of the Victoria Sierra Arizaga Memorial Scholarship, and Senator Howie Morales spoke on behalf of the family about his father-in-lawâ€™s mother, for whom the scholarship is named. He spoke of her dedication to her work as a single mom and the importance she placed on being present in support of her family. He then spoke of the scholarship recipient, Isaac D. Castillo, who has overcome a significant accident, learning to walk when doctors claimed he would never walk again.

Hoffman then spoke about how Senator Morales had challenged those present last year to consider donating scholarship funds, and how that challenge inspired him and his wife, Shirin McArthur, to fund a scholarship as well. He stated that it is important to fund the education of those students who will go on to make our country, and the world, a better place, and encouraged others to consider funding scholarships for students.

Every year LULAC holds a number of enchilada fundraisers, as well as regular bingo nights, to raise funds for many of these scholarships. LULAC Council 8003, based in Silver City, is very active in the community and was recognized as the State LULAC Council of the Year for 2015. In addition, LULAC Council 8003 President Lynn Godoy Baca was inducted this year into the LULAC State Hall of Fame.

Other LULAC member honorees for this very active Council included Man of the Year, the Rev. Henry Hoffman; Woman of the Year, Helen Maldonado; and Educator of the Year, Vanessa Lopez, a former LULAC scholarship recipient and fifth-grade teacher at Jose Barrios Elementary School.

The evening was concluded by LULAC Council Chaplain the Rev. Paul Moore, who noted that the original universities were in fact seminaries that trained young men for priesthood, and said that even today college students can study Godâ€™s truth in many ways and places. He read the LULAC prayer, which is attributed to George Washington, and ended the evening with a benediction.

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Thirty Students Recognized at Annual LULAC Scholarship Dinner

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