Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas

Dear HWNT Members and Friends,

I am so delighted to inform you that the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Fort Worth Chapter, Latinas in Progress (LIP) Education Series had its first session, College 101 this past Saturday October 3^rd at UTA.  I wanted to share with you the success of LIP College 101 Module and congratulate the many individuals who made it happen!

First of all, Admissions Counselor, Adam Pitts and Vice President of UTA, Dr. Frank Lamas did a wonderful job hosting us and accommodating all our students, parents and volunteers.  Many thanks for providing not only the facility but for graciously speaking to our students about the opportunities at UTA and the importance of pursuing higher education.  Did I mention that they also provided breakfast, an all you can eat lunch at the Connections Café, and an afternoon snack!  WOW!

Additionally, thanks to Dr. Catalina Garcia for the great delivery of her “I measure up!” presentation.  As always, she inspired many students, volunteers, and members.  We greatly appreciate her words of encouragement!

A special thanks to our very own Dr. Tangie Cuascud Vega for sharing her life story and speaking to the students about how to overcome the challenges and adversity they may encounter on their way to college and journey towards success. Thanks to her Telemundo interviewed 2 Latinas In Progress students on how Dr. Tangie impacted their lives. Stay tuned for her segment as a Hispana Heroina!

Another special thanks to our very own Susie Soto-Olmos and Belinda Ramos from TCCD Northwest Campus for addressing the importance of financial aid and for guiding our students through the FAFSA/TAFSA process.  Also, we are so grateful that Charim Guadarrama, FWISD Student Engagement & Completion, addressed Senate Bill 1528 and the DREAM Act.  Many of our students had great questions and they benefited from learning about their options.

Furthermore, thanks to Dr. Danna Diaz and FWISD Student Engagement and Completion for extending their resources.  Not only did we have great volunteers, we were also able to have a professional translator and translating devices for our Spanish speaking parents!  This has been the most high tech session we’ve ever had!  Thanks also to Erica Marez for the icebreaker activity for our students, what a great way to get the session going so early in the morning!

I’d also like to thank our members who were present, Christina Elbitar, Judy Perez, Diane Salazar, Diana Pitman, and Anna Alvarado.  They all contributed to the success of College 101!

Lastly, I hope that you can join me in congratulating two of our newly appointed LIP Interns, Maria Alonso, senior Trimble Tech HS, and Daisy Castro, senior, Northside HS.  These returning LIP students did a wonderful job on their first day of the internship!  What a great way to enhance their resume and to give back to HWNT.  We are so proud of you guys!

I hope that you can join us at our next session, Latinas in Power Module at UNT on November 14^th (more details to follow soon).  We are still accepting Madrinas so if you would like to make a difference in a young Latina’s life I encourage each of you to step up and be a mentor!  It’s extremely rewarding!

Till next time,

Victoria Ruiz

Education Chair

HWNT - Fort Worth Chapter

Mobile: 817.913.8819

fw-education@hwnt.org

www.hwnt.org

fortworth Fort Worth Adam Pitts, Belinda Ramos, Charim Guadarrama, College 101, Daisy Castro, Dr Catalina Garcia, Dr Frank Lamas, Dr Tangie Cuascud Vega, FWISD, Latinas In Progress, LIP, Maria Alonso, Susie Soto-Olmos, TCCD northwest campus, University of Texas at Arlington, UTA, Victoria Ruiz

Fort Worth HWNT Chapter Announces 2009 Scholarship Recipients

Non-Profit Awards $123,000 in Scholarships to Nine Fort-Worth Students

Jordan Mazurek, Christy Mazurek, and Coleen Mazurek and Clara Garcia.

05.28.2009 – (FORT WORTH, Texas – May 20, 2009) The Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas - Fort Worth (HWNT-FW) chapter awarded $123,000 in scholarships to nine local students at the organization’s annual Mother-Daughter Awards Banquet held at Tarrant County College’s south campus on May 2, 2009. The announcement comes after all nine of the applicants met the program requirements while maintaining excellent attendance rates at the organization’s annual Latinas In Progress (LIP) college prep modules.

Every year, HWNT-FW raises over $100,000 in scholarships to females who are set to graduate from a Fort Worth-area high school and who have attended all five of the organization’s LIP modules. The LIP modules are set programs that HWNT organizes each year to help prepare students for college and acquire skills to further their professional development. Each module is organized to prepare students for college, develop their writing and speaking skills, as well as provide public policy and life coaching sessions to help each student become more confident and an outstanding citizen to their communities.

“We have been blessed in these trying times to be able to provide guidance and support to improve the lives of our Fort Worth youth,” said Christina Elbitar, president of HWNT-FW. “Acquiring an education is core to our organization’s mission and success. Each of our members and donors have been working so hard to volunteer their time and increase our ability to help make a huge impact in the lives of our LIP students who, otherwise, may not be so fortunate.”

Each of the recipients received scholarship amounts ranging from $1,000-$113,000 in individual awards to several local major universities including a full ride to Texas Christian University, as well as opportunities from The University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas Wesleyan University, Texas Woman’s University and Tarrant County College District. In addition to area-university and a Northwestern Mutual donation, HWNT members presented awards in honor of their mothers.

The 2009 recipients of the nine HWNT scholarships awarded in May are:

Christina Elbitar/HWNT president, Clara Garcia/HWNT TCU scholarship recipient, Jennifer Treviño/HWNT scholarship chair, and Michael Marshall/ TCU

• Carmen Linda Cruz, senior, Haltom High School
• Thalia Esparza, freshman, Tarrant County College
• Clara Garcia, senior, Western Hills High School
• Melisa Ladinos, senior, Haltom High School
• Victoria Noris, senior, Haltom High School
• Sasha Perez, senior, Keene High School
• Breanna Rodriguez, senior, Boswell High School
• Rebecca Rodriguez, senior, Castleberry High School
• Darcee Torress, senior, Paschal High School

“We are so proud of our LIP participants,” said Elbitar. “Our students have proven their dedication and eagerness to learn and acquire their dreams – it was only natural that they each received some form of monetary support to help grow their passions and acquire a higher education. We look forward in watching all of our recipients as they begin their new life journeys.”

If you’re interested in applying to the Latinas in Progress Program to qualify for scholarships, please visit www.hwnt.org.

Tahlia Esparza and her mother

News Facts

· The Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas - Fort Worth (HWNT-FW) chapter awarded $123,000 in scholarships to nine local students.

· Every year, HWNT-FW raises over $100,000 in scholarships to females who are set to graduate from a Fort Worth-area high school.

· All nine of the applicants participated in the organization’s LIP college prep modules.

· The LIP modules are set programs that HWNT organizes each year to help prepare students for college and acquire skills to further their professional development.

· Scholarship amounts range from $1,000-$113,000 in individual awards to several local major universities including a full ride to Texas Christian University.

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