Dallas College Newsroom

Harrison Nguyen, a Dallas College student with autism, overcame family issues, depression and learning challenges to build confidence and succeed in college. Through support from Dallas College Accessibility Services and involvement in SkillsUSA, he developed leadership skills and helped lead an award-winning voter engagement project that encouraged more than 1,000 people to vote. Harrison hopes his story inspires others to embrace their differences to pursue their goals.

Dallas College alumna Maricsa Trejo turned her passion for baking into the award-winning La Casita Bakeshop after studying in the college's culinary program and taking a leap of faith to start her own business. Through perseverance and support from her family, she grew the bakery into one of the most recognized brunch destinations in North Texas, earning accolades such as a James Beard Award finalist nomination and a Food Network appearance.

There isn’t a drop of oil anywhere. There isn’t one tool out of place. Dallas College alum Christopher Manning keeps his work area at the Mercedes-Benz of Plano service center as pristine as the cars in the showroom. He’s driven to end the old “dirty mechanic” stereotype as he has become a leading voice in the industry.

Elisa Ramos reflects on graduation. "I think my parents will be overjoyed, especially since I’m the first in the family to pursue college here," she said. "It’s my dad’s dream to have professionals in the family, and I will be the first of my siblings to reach that goal. My dad is my biggest inspiration to keep studying. Since I was a little girl, he always encouraged me to follow my dreams."

The Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship is just one of many scholarships available for Dallas College students to pursue. Meet two 2024 Kramp scholars.

Elijah Harrington earned an associate degree through Dallas College's Dual Credit Program at age 17 and later completed a bachelor's degree in psychology, graduating at just 20 years old. He credits Dallas College with teaching him perseverance, adaptability, and the value of hard work, skills that helped him overcome academic and personal challenges.

Faviola Cecena describes her journey to Dallas College from the RN program to later earn her bachelor's of nursing. She describes the support and knowledge Dallas College gave her as a first-generation college student.

Raven Furlough, a graduate of Dallas College's inaugural bachelor's degree in education, is now a kindergarten teacher who creates an engaging and supportive classroom environment for her students. She credits Dallas College's knowledgeable instructors and coursework with helping prepare her for the realities of teaching and bringing her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher to life.

Maris Rodriguez was a high school dropout and didn’t think she had much of a future. Because of Dallas College and the STEM Institute, Maris has been rejuvenated with life and is now pursuing a dream of working for NASA. Maris recently was part of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program at the Ames Research Center in California.

Dr. An Lu grew up with no electricity in a small village in Vietnam. Her family chased a better life, coming to the United States in 2003. At the time, An was a 14-year-old who spoke no English and struggled with other cultural barriers. But she always knew she wanted to become a doctor and took her studies seriously in high school. A high school teacher pointed her toward Dallas College’s Eastfield Campus to continue her studies.

Kristen Bradford describes her journey leading to Dallas College. She hopes to empower others and make a difference through her nonprofit 4TheGirls Social.

Ngai Ning's journey took him from Myanmar to Malaysia and eventually to Dallas as a refugee, where he overcame language and barriers and cultural differences with the support of his family and teachers. After enrolling at Dallas College, he switched from engineering to business and discovered a passion for photography and videography, leading to freelance work and an internship with FC Dallas.

Carmesia Washington started her educational journey at Dallas College in 1998, attending classes at the Mountain View Campus. However, she started a family and had a successful career working in IT, which put college on the back burner. Then, one day her high school-aged daughter pushed Washington to pursue her dreams of becoming a teacher.

Tometra Williams discovered her calling to a career in occupational therapy through helping to care for her grandmother.

Mountain View had become known for its mariachi ensemble over the years, but the group faded away during the COVID-19 pandemic with live performances being put on hold. However, the group has been revitalized by Manuel Chavez, one of the first Leones, who is now an adjunct faculty member.