Five Lone Star College System students presented their personal stories of how a community college education is changing their lives during the 16th Annual Lone Star College Foundation Chancellor's Breakfast.
More than 150 LSC Foundation scholarship donors and friends attended the event hosted at Shirley Acres.
The students, one from each Lone Star College, were selected to present their essays addressing the prompt, "How My Community College Experience Has Influenced My Life." Each will receive a $1,000 scholarship.
"The opportunity to hear from students about their life experiences and the impact of attending Lone Star College System is a compelling reinforcement for supporting the Lone Star Foundation," said Fred Caldwell, Caldwell Companies and LSC Foundation vice chair.
"The students desire to overcome obstacles to achieve an education and desired life goals is always rewarding," said Caldwell.
"The Chancellor's Breakfast is an opportunity for LSC Foundation to thank its donors and for the donors to see what a difference their contributions make in people's lives," said Karen West, The Woodlands Development Company and LSC Foundation chair.
"The personal testimonies of students presented at the breakfast demonstrates this in a dramatic and compelling way," said West.
Excerpts from scholarship recipients:
Janet Jackson, Lone Star College-CyFair
"Given the chance to attend LSC-CyFair is a gift from God to me. Not following through with college right out of high school always left me feeling my world not quite on its axis. Now, actually attending classes is a dream come true. I feel as if I have been standing in a dark room and someone has come and turned on the light. I have a sense of being in place, my world finally set into order."
Karen Martinez, Lone Star College-Kingwood
"Besides all of these personal accomplishments, for me the greatest one is that I have grown as a person. Lone Star College-Kingwood was the vessel that took me on this journey of personal discovery which has had a positive impact in all other aspects of my life. Now, I can see the positive side of every situation even when the circumstances dictate a contrary disposition."
Linda Whittington, Lone Star College-Montgomery
"Whitman's answer to his plaguing question was, ‘That you are here-that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.' Lone Star College-Montgomery has contributed a verse in not only my life, but so many others. It is about the journey and the people you meet. Thanks to LSC-Montgomery I not only know who I am and where I am, I know where I am going and I have met some amazing people on the way."
Moumen Soudan, Lone Star College-North Harris
"With the help of my adviser and professor, I became someone I have always wanted to be. LSC-North Harris has provided me with classes that weren't only educational, but also entertaining. My classmates have been humble and understanding, and my professors have helped me with both my classes and my life."
Carla Breazeal, Lone Star College-Tomball
"Although it's been a long, hard road to follow, I am one semester away from graduation today. My enthusiasm for my chosen field has not wanted. I'm as excited about it now as I ever was. I am especially grateful that I was directed toward this particular program at LSC-Tomball. There are other OTA programs out there, but ours is quite unique in its client-centered, holistic and existentialist approach to occupational therapy."
Last year, the LSC Foundation presented scholarships to more than 200 students.
"The Chancellor's Breakfast is the highlight of our year," said Darcy Mingoia, LSC Foundation director.
"It is the time we gather together our donors, our community partners and our system employees and listen to the words of our students. We have the opportunity to hear directly from students who receive our scholarships describing how our donations have changed their lives. Those stories speak volumes about the necessity of financially supporting those in need as they educate themselves and develop the skills necessary to become a part of our community's workforce. The economic ripple effect in our community of educating students is impactful to us all," said Mingoia.
Lone Star College System consists of five colleges, including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers and Lone Star College-University Center. With more than 50,000 students in credit classes this spring, LSCS is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and third largest community college system in Texas. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.