President Barack Obama recognized Eastfield College graduate Fabiola Chavez with the President's Volunteer Service Award.
Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
or
Cesar Canizales
214-378-1859;
ccanizales@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Aug. 10, 2016
(DALLAS) — As Fabiola Chavez prepares to leave Eastfield College this summer, she will take with her the President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama.
Valery Perez, who graduated from Richland College in May, won the Young Entrepreneur scholarship from consulting firm Ernst & Young and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
While these students have diverse interests, they share a drive to succeed that promises a bright future ahead for both of them.
Dedicated Volunteer Prepares for a Future in Medicine
Chavez, who is transferring to the University of Dallas this fall, has volunteered her time at Methodist Hospital since August 2015 in the clinical research department where she assists a clinical research scientist. “I’ve learned how to publish and how to submit a manuscript during that time. The hours I spent in the department were submitted for the President’s Award,” said Chavez about her Bronze Award.
After earning an associate degree at Eastfield in 2015 and taking classes at the college for an additional year, Chavez has been preparing for the next phase of her education — a career in medicine — by studying hard and getting involved in student leadership organizations along the way.
As an Eastfield College student, Chavez was involved in several student organizations, and she traveled as well to study and to tell the community college story to national legislators. Fabiola was a member of the two-year academic honorary Phi Theta Kappa and served as a Student Ambassador at Eastfield. She traveled to Hawaii for biology studies one summer; to the Big Thicket Natural Preserve for more biology studies; and then to Washington, D.C., in February of this year to represent the Dallas County Community College District during the 2016 National Legislative Summit. She told the community college story to legislators at the U.S. Capitol.
Chavez graduated from W.T. White High School in Dallas and decided to enroll immediately at Eastfield College in 2013. She said she hit a “reset button” and started her higher education career at a community college because the transition from high school to college would be easier. “Instead of being bombarded with the university experience, I wanted to get a dose of college reality at Eastfield,” she said. “I wanted more personal attention from my professors and more one-to-one learning experiences with faculty.”
Chavez added, “I also wanted to stay close to home. I wanted a realistic option for college, and I wanted a realistic price. That’s why I chose to attend a community college after high school.”
Her decision obviously worked. Chavez graduated from Eastfield College in May 2015 and continued to take classes in 2016. She will major in biology (pre-medicine track) at the University of Dallas and eventually would like to study medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Being a community college student gave her yet another advantage: UD offers a Phi Theta Kappa transfer scholarship to community college students, which will pay half of Chavez’s tuition. She said, “I’m excited to transfer to the University of Dallas after three years at Eastfield. I’m prepared for it. It’s not nerve-wracking — it’s exciting!”
Richland College graduate Valery Perez started a business at 14. She won the Young Entrepreneur scholarship from consulting firm Ernst & Young and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneur Hopes to Inspire Girls and Other Immigrants
For Richland College graduate Valery Perez, starting a business at age 14 was only the beginning of what she hopes will be a challenging but rewarding life as an entrepreneur.
Perez, who is now 21, graduated from Richland in May. She is the CEO of Rosealloon, which makes and sells balloons that are stuffed with personalized gifts such as flowers, teddy bears or even engagement rings.
In June, Perez won the Young Entrepreneur scholarship from consulting firm Ernst & Young and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
The award was announced at the firm’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year gala in Dallas, where Perez was recognized. She was elated at the attention she received during the dinner. “I’m still trying to process all this!” Perez said. “It’s all so very exciting to be recognized for my work!”
Perez launched Rosealloon when she was still in high school after she took a class about entrepreneurship at H. Grady Spruce High School in Dallas. She said the company was an experiment. “It was a family business that started as a classroom assignment,” she said. “That assignment helped my family earn some extra income.”
Perez said she’s already looking forward to starting other ventures and setting an example for others. “I want to inspire young girls and other immigrants to chase their dreams and show them that the American dream is still alive and nothing is impossible for those who work hard,” Perez added.
While she was at Richland, Perez joined DECA, a collegiate entrepreneurship organization. She then transferred to Eastfield College, and she also took classes at El Centro College.
Perez said she already is looking forward to starting other ventures. “I love the thrill of starting a new business. I’ve been in my comfort level with Rosealloon for too long,” she said.
Perez said she will use the scholarship she won to continue her academic career at Texas Bible Institute this fall.
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