HCC-ASPIRE Scholarship Program salutes excellence in education
Mar 6, 2015
The Houston Community College ASPIRE Scholarship Program raised substantial funds and celebrated the professional achievements of faculty, staff, and students in a sold-out luncheon and awards ceremony held recently at the Junior League of Houston. ASPIRE, which stands for Asian Scholarship Program Inspiring Results and Excellence, honors the Asian heritage and recognizes the academic achievements of Asian students and faculty at HCC.
Over 300 guests, including members of the HCC Board of Trustees, diplomats, elected officials, community leaders, corporate executives, and friends, have raised more than $100,000 to date.
Founder and President of HCC-ASPIRE, Trustee Neeta Sane said, “This is a significant achievement for an organization that was chartered in 2013.”
For the first time, staff members were awarded professional development funds. In addition, seven faculty members were recognized for their professional development and research that had been presented at national or regional conferences. Five students were awarded scholarships in recognition of their outstanding academic and extra-curricular achievements.
"Being awarded the ASPIRE scholarship serves as validation that I'm on the right track and that I should pursue my calling," said a thankful Bryan Faustino, one of the student scholarship recipients who is completing his associate degree in nursing at HCC Coleman College.
The event would not have been possible without the help of a number of dedicated volunteers including Dr. Parvin Bagherpour, Dr. Ritu Raju, Sheila Briones, Munira Panjwani, Rima Adil, Munir Ibrahim, and Kathy Najafi, committee chairs, and community members.
Event Co-Chairs Ash and Leena Shah were vocal in their appreciation, “We just want to congratulate Trustee Neeta Sane and her amazing team for putting together such a wonderful luncheon event. It exceeded our expectations, especially considering that this was just the second event for ASPIRE.”
Prominent members of the community and elected officials were fulsome in their approval as well. Donor Sarah Abraham and community leader Asha Dhume commented on the “excellent event” and recognized all the people behind the scenes for making this a successful event. The generosity of the donors and the whole-hearted support of the community helped make the event memorable and meaningful.
President Sane, also HCC Trustee from District VII said it best, "HCC-ASPIRE luncheon was held to honor the Asian culture and to raise funds to help support the educational pursuits and scholastic achievements of Asian students attending HCC as well as HCC's outstanding faculty and staff. I am proud of all those who received financial awards because they have exhibited strong commitment to education and willingness to work hard to succeed in education!"
To learn more about HCC-ASPIRE or to contribute to the scholarship funds, please visit www.hccsfoundation.org.