That fall day when he stepped onto the Barker Cypress campus as a freshman, Michael Aguilar made the first step toward his “transformative second chance.” Now just three years later, he is one of Lone Star College-CyFair’s most decorated graduates and this May’s commencement speaker.
“We are very proud of Michael, not only for his academic accomplishments, but also for his passion to serve and persistence to achieve,” said LSC-CyFair President Dr. Seelpa Keshvala. “He is a role model with a story that is the epitome of second chance successes. He set goals, focused and took advantage of all LSC-CyFair has to offer and now he is a most impressive and admirable graduates.”
“Despite the struggles of my childhood, my story took a hopeful and unexpected turn,” said Aguilar, a graduate of Cypress Woods High School when he came to LSC-CyFair. “My grades were also not the best, but I saw LSC-CyFair as a second chance to push my academic skills to their full capacity.”
Aguilar’s academic ability, persistence, leadership, and service to others were contributing factors in him being named a Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar – one of 47 in the nation. This is the most prestigious and highly-competitive undergraduate transfer scholarship in the country, which provides recipients with up to $40,000 annually toward the completion of their bachelor’s degrees.
“This scholarship completely validates three years of academics, extracurricular activities, and working both full-time and part-time jobs to make sure I was financially stable,” said Aguilar, whose parents did not finish high school and struggled with economic hardships. “I often felt like I couldn’t handle the stress of balancing each activity, but now I look back and see that it was all worth it. I have become a better student and a stronger individual.”
Aguilar reached his first academic goal of becoming a member of the Honors College after earning all A’s that Fall 2015 semester. Being a part of the Honors College exposed him to a world of intellectual discovery in which he conducted multiple research projects and presented his work at conferences.
“Then when I accepted Phi Theta Kappa membership, I discovered a new world of opportunity,” said Aguilar, who had lived in 16 different houses by age 18, though never travelling outside his hometown. “After two years as a member, I’ve travelled across the country - Chicago, Nashville, Jackson (Mississippi), New Orleans - and I now see myself as a global citizen.”
Having witnessed a friend’s struggle with the juvenile justice system, Aguilar put his scholarly training into practice with community projects. He was instrumental in leading the Beta Lambda Mu initiative “Pens, Not Penitentiaries: An Examination of the School-to-Prison Pipeline.” This Phi Theta Kappa 2016-2017 Honors in Action Project, in which he and 66 fellow members mentored 400 at-risk high school students, was named #1 overall internationally.
Aguilar was elected in 2017, and still serves in a leadership role, as President of Phi Theta Kappa’s Texas Region. In 2018, he received the Phi Theta Kappa Distinguished Regional Officer Award and presented with Phi Theta Kappa CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner at Achieving the Dream’s Annual Conference in Nashville.
“Only the best and brightest would get a chance to present with our CEO at Achieving the Dream. The fact that Michael was selected, speaks volumes about his leadership,” said Dr. Blake A. Ellis, LSC-CyFair Adjunct Faculty and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s Associate Vice President of Outreach and Engagement.
Moreover, Aguilar was chosen as one of 20 college students named nationwide to the prestigious All-USA Academic Team, which comes with a $5,000 scholarship. This team consists of community college students who demonstrate academic excellence and intellectual rigor combined with leadership and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society.
The All-USA Academic Team will be recognized at Phi Theta Kappa’s Presidents’ Breakfast, held during the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) convention in Dallas, Texas. Selected from among these 20 members, Aguilar will receive another $1,000 as recipient of Phi Theta Kappa’s 2018 Dr. David Pierce Scholarship. In addition, he will be the first Hispanic male student keynote speaker at the April 30 convention.
Aguilar is graduating Summa Cum Laude with an Associate of Arts Degree with Highest Honors in Research and Honors College Leadership Track distinctions. He plans to double major in economics and math and then pursue a master’s in public policy.
“At LSC-CyFair, I have become a leader and scholar. My community college experience has prepared me to transfer to a four-year university,” said Aguilar.
Although he’s been accepted into Boston University, he’s waiting to hear back from every school – with top choices being Princeton University, Rice University, and Amherst College - before making a decision.
With the various scholarships he’s worked hard to earn, Aguilar said he won’t have to stress about financial security and can focus all his energy on his studies. He is working toward a career in public leadership to tackle social challenges, such as education, public health, criminal justice reform, and environmental issues.
“The fact that I will have people doing everything they can to ensure I succeed at a university is a very reassuring feeling. It is simply a life-changing opportunity,” he said.
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