Aldine ISD and LSC make a great pair
Perhaps it was kismet when Lone Star College, then just North Harris County College, opened in the early seventies with Dr. W.W. Thorne as the first President. Thorne was the former Superintendent of Aldine ISD and since the very beginning, the two educational institutions have formed a close partnership that now sends many AISD students to LSC every year.
"More than 30 years ago, a group of community members and Aldine ISD administrators founded a non-profit organization, the Aldine Scholarship Foundation (ASF). ASF raised private funds to send AISD graduates to Lone Star College." said Sheleah Reed, Chief Communications Officer for Aldine ISD. To date, the collective endowments now total close to $2 million.
"Aldine ISD strongly values its long-standing partnership with Lone Star College in providing college scholarships to Aldine ISD seniors. For 30 years, Aldine ISD and Lone Star College have provided Aldine ISD students with the opportunity to begin their college careers. Many of the students who have received scholarships have been the first in their families to attend college." Reed said.
Aldine Education Foundation and Lone Star College Foundation have the shared goal of supporting student success beyond Aldine ISD classrooms. Both organizations seek to connect donors' gifts to those students who need financial assistance to pursue their education beyond high school.
Every year, ASF endowments generate 130 scholarships annually for Aldine ISD graduates now attending Lone Star College with many attending LSC-North Harris and East Aldine Center.
"Our unique partnership means we work closely together to manage the application and award process of the funds held at Lone Star College Foundation specifically for Aldine ISD students to attend Lone Star," says Michele McGovern, Director, Aldine Education Foundation. "In addition to the benefits this provides for our graduates, there are community benefits to keeping some of our best and brightest close to home."
Nicole Robinson Gauthier, Executive Director, LSC Foundation says, "this partnership is a great example of the LSC Foundation mission in action, part of which is changing lives through relationship building. With the same goals in mind, the Foundation and AISD are poised to continue great work for our students and the community. It is an honor to partner with our Aldine friends!"
The partnership isn't limited to scholarships, as the newly opened East Aldine Center shows. Opened in 2019, the center allows even more access for the Aldine community to academic courses as well as workforce training programs in high demand fields. Also on site is Aldine ISD's Rose M. Avalos Pathways in Technology Early College High School where high school students earn their diploma and college credit hours simultaneously. CLICK HERE to learn more about Lone Star's newest location.
If you are interested in supporting student scholarships at Lone Star College, please contact the Foundation at 832.813.6636 or email foundation@lonestar.edu for more information.