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Montgomery is excited to announce its “final four,” four students in the running to give the student address at commencement. The students are: Hope Bennett, Natalia Hazelwood, Jeremy Martinez and Riley Young.
“I was so impressed with the submissions from Hope, Natalia,
Jeremy and Riley,” said Dr. Rebecca Riley, president of LSC-Montgomery. “Each
demonstrated commitment to his or her academic goals and also inspired the
whole graduating class to make a difference in the lives of the people around
them. The community will enjoy hearing the winner’s
speech at commencement.”
LSC-Montgomery is excited to
announce Riley Young has been selected to address his peers at graduation Friday,
May 13, at The Woodlands Church. “I am so proud to be giving the
commencement speech,” said Young. “The honor to speak to my peers and mentors
is a treasure I will always hold close to my heart.”
Young plans to transfer to pursue
a bachelor’s degree at either the University of Houston or Sam Houston
State University. He will study communications and political science. His goal
is to become a press secretary or campaign manager for future political
campaigns and candidates. He is grateful for the opportunity to have
completed a political internship during his time at LSC-Montgomery. “Getting to
apply what I learned in the classroom while actively participating in politics
gave me a lot of confidence in my education and my career path. It also left me
with invaluable real world experience,” said Young. “I hope to use and
build upon my experiences to accomplish the dreams I've had since I was a
child."
On campus Young works as a Maverick Leader. “I
attribute my accomplishments to my faith, family and the LSC-Montgomery
faculty, especially professor Mike Devoley, Dr. Fiona Ross and the entire
Admissions and Outreach teams,” said Young. “I appreciate their high level of
dedication to my growth in and out of the classroom.
Hope Bennett studied human
services and chemical dependency counseling at LSC-Montgomery. She is
graduating summa cum laude and has received the Monaghan Transfer Scholarship
and a Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship to continue her education at the University
of Saint Thomas.
“I have learned current, relevant
skills during my time at LSC-Montgomery that have allowed me to graduate as a
licensed, employable, dependency counselor,” said Bennett. “LSC-Montgomery
provided state test prep clinics, career planning and the highest level of
education of any two year college. I'm so happy to be graduating and moving to
the next level on my education with this experience.”
Bennett overcame many obstacles
to finish her education. “During my time at LSC-Montgomery I was injured in an
accident,” said Bennett. “I had three major surgeries that left me permanently
disabled while I was enrolled in classes full time. There were days I had to be
wheeled into class, but I never gave up. I read books and wrote class papers
from my hospital bed. I fought hard to stay in school and finish.”
On campus Bennett served as the
president of the honors society, Phi Theta Kappa; Vice President of the
national psychology honors society, Psi Beta; and she is on the board of
directors for the LSC-Montgomery Food Bank.
“I'd like to thank my family for encouraging and inspiring me,”
said Bennett. “I’d also like to thank everyone at Lone Star for believing in
me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Natalia Hazelwood plans to transfer to study international
relations and reach her ultimate goal of working as a diplomat or ambassador.
“My time at LSC-Montgomery has been tremendously helpful in
pursuit of my goals,” said Hazelwood. “I appreciate the staff and faculty
members who took timeout of their busy schedules to sit down with me to give me
positive, encouraging advice."
Hazelwood grew up in the foster care system, an experience that
provided her with the unique opportunity to practice perseverance in the face
of hardship. She went to LSC in 2007, but ended that semester with a low GPA.
She decided to take time off school to focus on self-growth and develop her
dreams. When she came back to LSC-Montgomery in 2015, she was a different
person. “After learning from past mistakes, I returned with a focused
determination,” said Hazelwood. “I have seen inequality and injustice in my
past, so my goal is to advocate for human rights everywhere. I continually use
this passion to drive me toward success."
On campus Hazelwood was a senator in Student
Government, she participated in National Model U.N. and Rotaract Club.
She also completed an internship with the Woodlands Chamber of Commerce.
Hazelwood has been married for six years and has a 2-year-old
daughter. “Balancing school and family life is a juggle and I am constantly
trying to squeeze in as much time with them as I can. Every semester we
navigate a new rhythm. I am thankful for their support and sacrifice to help me
accomplish my lifelong dream of promoting a better world.”
Jeremy Martinez is an Honors
College Fellow at LSC-Montgomery. He has been accepted to several four-year
universities and is deciding where to transfer to study engineering. His
ultimate goal is to start his own firm.
“LSC-Montgomery made me a better
overall student,” said Martinez. “I learned how to write a research paper,
draft a thesis and make presentations. Lone Star really gives you all the tools
necessary to succeed and it is up to you to take them and run with it. I knew I
would have more opportunities coming to LSC-Montgomery as opposed to being a
small fish in a big pool at a four-year college right out of high school.
Having the smaller classes and more professor interaction, I was able to better
adjust to the college life and the college workload.”
On campus Martinez is the Honors
College student organization president and he loves to play football with the
club team.
Martinez looks up to his grandfather who founded and owned the
Houston restaurant, Spanish Flowers. “My Grandpa always taught me to make a
good first impression,” said Martinez. “I never saw him without pleated pants
and nicely ironed shirt. Before we went out, he would always have me iron my
jeans, even my t-shirts. I try to model my work ethic after his because he was
always ready to do the work that need to be done. At the restaurant if somebody
wasn’t available to do a task he had no problem doing it, whether that was
cooking or cleaning the restrooms, he would jump in and do the work.”
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive,
one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more
information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit LoneStar.edu/Montgomery.
Known for its leadership, innovation and steadfast
commitment to student success, Lone Star College provides high-quality academic
transfer and workforce education / career training programs to more than 83,000
credit students each semester, and a total enrollment of 95,000 students. LSC
is training tomorrow’s workforce today
and redefining the community college experience to promote student success and
economic prosperity. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., is the chancellor of LSC, the
largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, which consists of
six colleges, eight centers, two university centers, Lone Star Corporate
College and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.