Student Scholarship Winners

After my time at Dallas College, I want to transfer to my dream university, the University of Texas at Austin, where I will double major in Mathematics and Astronomy. After I earn my master’s degree, I want to become a mathematician and do research with NASA. Since I did not earn a high school diploma or equivalent, I am unable to apply for federal aid and I must pay for college out of pocket.

Receiving the Dallas College Retirees Association Scholarship would financially aid my success as a college student and help me on my academic journey. I am a good candidate for this scholarship because I have shown I am determined to complete my education and have a clear vision for my future. This scholarship will help me to continue to obtain my academic goals and pursue my career goals.

My name is Sheikh Abdullah, and I have successfully completed 18 credit hours of coursework as a computer science student at Dallas College. My goal is to become a cybersecurity specialist. Science has always piqued my curiosity. I enjoy working with electronic gadgets and seeing how things work with software. However, I discovered that while I understood hardware, I still needed a thorough understanding of software to fully comprehend the entire operating process and achieve my goal. Thus, I intend to get my cloud computing certification as soon as possible and continue to do a bachelor’s in computer science.

I see the path to my goals as a process of incremental acquisition of knowledge and experiences. In the long term, I’d like to concentrate on cybersecurity because it’s something I’m passionate about and one of the most marketable careers today. As there are different levels of cybersecurity, I want to start at the beginning by getting training and getting a job in the field, and then continue to get more training and certification throughout my bachelor’s degree, so that when I graduate, I will have a computer science degree and experience in the same field. This is a path I have been able to follow successfully through my education in the past.

I live alone because my parents and all my family members are in Nepal. I am responsible for all my expenditures, including rent, groceries, insurance, college tuition, and study supplies. My father is a farmer in my home country, and they have extremely few resources. They are unable to contribute much to my education fees due to a lack of funds. On the other hand, I am required as the oldest son to help my parents financially so they can take care of themselves and provide for the health and education of my brothers and sisters. This means that a significant part of the money I earn is not available for me to cover the expenses of my education. Nevertheless, if I receive this scholarship, the funds from it will be used to cover the cost of certifications and study tools like a laptop, software applications, and gadgets to stay current in today’s environment.

At Dallas College, I am an active member of TRIO and Phi Theta Kappa. I participate in leadership work for many projects as a member of this. We are currently working on a project called “Female Participation in Games” where we will gather information on the percentage of female participation in contrast to male participation. We’ll be doing research to find out why there are fewer women playing games and what we can do to change that.

During my gap year, I wanted to continue my education despite not being in a classroom environment by documenting two Afro-descendant populations in Central America, learning about quirky topics in Asia, and fully immersing myself in cultures by residing with locals. Through this period of exploration, I discovered my passion for navigating unfamiliar environments, researching different countries, and finding commonalities between individuals with warring beliefs.

I am currently completing my associate degree to transfer to a four year institution to major in political science and minor in Mandarin. I chose these two fields of study due to my desire to work for the United States Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer and the government declaring learning Mandarin crucial for national security. Furthermore, I believe finding a way for these two powers to coexist and mutually thrive is important for the world, due to documented patterns that showed war is likely when a rising power attempts to displace an existing one.

To achieve my career aspiration, I plan to apply to two fellowships for graduate studies after completing my bachelor’s degree: Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship and Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship. Both of these programs provide participants with support in their graduate studies, internships, and appointments as officers after completing the program.

Receiving this scholarship will reduce my financial burden and maximize my college experience through volunteering at CitySquare’s food pantry and taking on leadership roles, such as being president of the Alpha Zeta Eta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. For both CitySquare’s food pantry and Alpha Zeta Eta, I saw a lack of participants— which caused these organizations to not function at their highest potential—then took appropriate action.

I first started volunteering at CitySquare to have human interaction during the pandemic and to assist when there was a decline in volunteers due to school beginning and people returning to work. Throughout my experience, I became aware of my ignorance regarding the large number of people impacted by food insecurity.

Also, this fall, I became the president of the Alpha Zeta Eta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. I was quite skeptical at first due to the lack of officers and the chapter’s recent history of being dispersed in 2019, but said yes due to my fondness for challenges. My role as the president is to embody tenacity- to persist in rebuilding the chapter despite our late beginning and substantial number of tasks needed to be completed in a short period.

As we continue to scratch off requirements from the Five Star Plan, I have seen growth in this team and our language becoming assertive. Instead of saying we are “trying” to rebuild our chapter’s esteem, we removed passive words from our vocabulary and are progressively moving towards this goal.

By receiving funding for my education, I will be able to make a difference in my community and act when recognizing a need.

The recipient of our $1,000 scholarship for the spring 2020 semester was Eastfield student Amiri Warden. Ameri recently told me that she did complete her associate's degree during the summer and maintained her 4.0 GPA. Below is the essay she wrote that was a significant part of why her selection for the scholarship. Why are you applying for the DCCCD Retirees Association Scholarship? Why do you believe you are an excellent candidate to receive this scholarship? Describe academic goals and future career plans. Include community service activities you have participated in and/or leadership roles you have held. Provide any further information in support of your application.

I am applying for the DCCCD Retirees Association Scholarship because I am pushing myself closer towards the finish line, which is to complete my bachelor's while acquiring little to no debt at all. This scholarship would allow me to challenge myself to go further with my education, not just limiting myself to thinking about only earning my bachelor's but even my master's degree.

I received a lot of support from the DCCCD community at Eastfield College. My professors, who saw my drive to want more for myself and was willing to be there to answer questions and emails when the dots were 15, not connecting but the adviser who helped make sure I stayed on track. I wasn't just a number to add to their roster, but a student they wanted to reach their goals. My goals include maintaining my 4.0 once I graduate from Eastfield College and transferring to UTA to finish my bachelor's in social work and hopefully work on my master's degree to become a licensed clinical social worker. Having the opportunity to work at Genesis Women's Shelter and Support the summer before my senior year of high school made me even more determined that social work was the path I wanted to take.

I was part of an internship at Baylor Scott & White-White Rock my senior year and the Interact Club serving as the community service chair leader. Also, my involvement with Human Service Club that is both centered around the community are a few of the things I was able to do while having my studies. I knew I would need to eventually further my education to get my bachelor's degree, which seems more like reality and not so much a dream as I get closer to graduating this spring or summer with my associate's of art. Overall I think I make an excellent candidate DCCCD Retirees Association Scholarship because I have the drive it takes to make goals become a reality and a fantastic support team for me when I need an extra push. I have to tools it takes to accomplish my dreams; I need help making the building blocks.

Dear DCCCD Retirees Association Endowed Scholarship Donor,

I am honored to be a recipient of the DCCCD Retirees Association Endowed Scholarship for the Spring 2019 semester. Because of your generous support, I can continue my academic career as a first-generation college student. Growing up in a less privileged community has not only offered financial and academic challenges but has also helped me realize the value of a college education. I will continue my undergraduate education at El Centro College this Spring and can already report that my academics will be off to an excellent start.

My plans at this stage are to major in Nursing and minor in Spanish with the hope of becoming a travel nurse and a certified medical interpreter. Thank you personally for your generosity; without scholarship patrons like you, students such as myself would be unable to pursue such health care degrees. Your scholarship will help me pay for classes that will advance my path towards success, so once again, thank you for the vote of confidence and scholarship. I am committed to my education and to the health care field, and with every dollar, I am one step closer towards achieving my dreams and making the world a better place. With your help, I will receive the education and training needed to provide excellent comfort and care to various patients in communities across the world.

Rest assured, your investment in the Dallas community will not go unnoticed. By continually volunteering with the DCCCD Street Team as a student ambassador of El Centro College, I will promote higher education and inspire others to follow in the footsteps that you have allowed me to make. Moreover, I will serve as a student leader for El Centro College Phi Theta Kappa chapter—Sigma Tau and develop my leadership skills by continuing my active membership in iLEAD and League of United Latin American Citizens. Thanks to your generosity and the DCCCD Retirees Association Endowed Scholarship, I will one day help relieve the health care disparity present throughout the globe and be the leader that my community requires me to be.

Once again, thank you for supporting students throughout the Dallas County Community College District. Your generosity truly makes a difference!

Sincerely,
Yazmin Muñoz