Hendrick Scholarship Foundation
Summer Newsletter 2019
More than a degree. Changing lives.
THE SECOND ANNUAL "OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING" STUDENT CAREER SYMPOSIUM
LaMonte Thomas (pictured on the right) from Cigna was the keynote speaker. In his role as president and general manager for North Texas and Oklahoma, he serves as the senior leader for Cigna's operations, competitiveness and market growth in the region. Thomas is chairman of the board for the Texas Diversity Council and the Plano Chamber of Commerce and member of many other boards within the community. In 2015, Thomas received the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader award. There was a great exchange of ideas. He was truly inspirational, and his personal story resonated and formed a connection with the students.
In the second hour, Certified Strengths Coach Brent O'Bannon led a great session with the students expanding on their “top five strengths” results from their session last year. He built on how students can focus on their strengths for success and gave them great strategies for finding employment, finding their dream job, and how to go about moving from one to the other.
Breakout Sessions
The breakout sessions showcased experts in their respective fields and included:
-Law/Civil Service
-Cultural Arts and Education
-Information Technology
-Entrepreneurship/Business
-Health Care
Thank you to our panelists for their energy and enthusiasm and for helping our students feel confident and prepared to succeed in school, their future careers and in life. Students made meaningful connections with them and their real-world stories gave students insight and strategies in to how to get a job.
Career Expo
o Direct Sponsorship: Computech Corporation, Icon Roofing, MRM CPAs & Advisors, Bell & Valente
o In-Kind Sponsorships: AlphaGraphics, Collin College, Donna Bender Company
o Contributed to our swag bag: Cane’s Chicken, Colonial Savings, Henry’s Ice Cream, Medical City, Texas Health Presbyterian – Plano, Toyota,
NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY
We thank those who made contributions to last year's total of over $12,000 in scholarship funds for our students. Our goal this year is to double that amount to $24,000 and we are excited to be working with our Board and local businesses to match funds that are brought in. We hope this will encourage more donors to rise to the challenge on September 19.
Come join us for a watch party and wine tasting on North Texas Giving Day at Corner Wines in Plano, TX from 6:30–8:30pm. We are looking forward to sipping on some of Corner Wines' best, nibbling on some snacks all the while supporting Hendrick Scholarship Foundation and cheering on our NTxGiving Day fundraising goal. All friends of Hendrick are invited!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATES!
University Graduates
- Michelle Contreras - University of North Texas - Education (pictured on the right)
- Ryan Phillips - University of Texas at Dallas - Economics
- Hunter Schneider - University of Texas at Dallas - Biology
- Will Schweinsberg - University of Texas at Dallas - Computer Science
Collin College Graduates
(transferring to a four-year university)
- Alfredo Galvan (pictured to the left)
- Miesha Bey
Giselle Arroyo
Shayna Anderson
Alondra Carbajal
Genesis Thomas
Faith Cockrell
Abigail Torbatian
Manuel Valdovinos
Neema Mwithiga
STUDENT SUMMER REVIEWS
Summer Renewal Meetings - Students must meet with HSF's Academic Advisor and the Student Success Committee in June to review their Spring semester and prepare for Fall. A comprehensive student needs assessment is performed to assess academic, coaching, tutoring, and financial needs. Program participation, grades from official transcript, degree plans, class selection, and work schedules are reviewed to determine program eligibility. Action plans and resources are offered to help the student succeed in the upcoming semester. The average GPA for Spring 2019 is 3.096 with the following students achieving academic distinction. We are very proud of the students who have achieved these distinctions.
President’s List 4.0 semester GPA with a minimum of 12 credits
- Giselle Arroyo- Collin
- Abigail Torbatian- Collin
- Emily Ayoubi – TX Tech
- Holly Bourque - Collin
- Sabrina LeBeouf- UT Austin
Dean’s List 3.5-3.9 Semester GPA with a minimum of 12 credits
- Neema Mwithiga- Collin
- Ifunanya Ngadi- UTD
- Hunter Schneider- UTD
- Will Schweinsberg- UTD
- Rosa Zelaya- UNT
- Ruby Mendoza- UTD
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR OUR SCHOLARS?
Student Summer Celebration
Last year, our student leadership team hosted a summer celebration for their fellow students. They held a Field Day for the students, their families and their academic coaches.The 2nd Annual Summer Celebration is currently being planned for early September 2019.
Fall 2019 Student Workshops
Each semester, HSF offers several workshops to help our students with college and life skills. Our tentative workshop list for Fall 2019 includes:
- FAFSA/Transfer Workshop
- Insurance Basics
- Professional Etiquette
- Tax Filing
- Test and Study Skills
- Vision Board Building
VOLUNTEER PROFILE - BERK SMITH
Berk is husband to Joan, a two-term HSF Board member and volunteer extraordinaire. They have two adult children, a daughter and a son who is also a coach for HSF. When Berk retired from a career in healthcare technology, he made a personal commitment to give back to the community. HSF’s mission speaks to him because he sees that education can break the cycle of poverty.
He enjoys helping the “bright bulbs shine” to find their way to success through education. Berk realizes that a family's economic circumstances should not necessarily dictate a student's success. Berk enjoys mentoring young adults and knows HSF’s Student Success Program is what differentiates HSF from other organizations who offer merely financial support.
Although tuition is the most visible obstacle our students face, Berk believes the Student Success program is our “secret sauce” that allows students to build a network of people to help them understand the culture of college, overcome family and peer pressures, and develop life skills.
Hendrick Scholarship Foundation thanks you, Berk, for your audacious and tireless service!
UPCOMING EVENTS
- September 19, 2019 North Texas Giving Day
- November 4, 2019 Pros for Purpose Golf Event
- February 28, 2020 TASTE 2020
About Us
Email: info@hendrickscholarship.org
Website: hendrickscholarship.org
Location: 2030 G Avenue, Plano, TX, United States
Phone: 972-423-2079
Facebook: facebook.com/hendrickscholarshipfoundation
Twitter: @HScholarship