Scholarships create opportunities for HCC students

Dec 1, 2015

Hundreds of Houston Community College (HCC) students and graduates can credit the David and Jean Wiley Foundation for giving them the priceless gift of a college education. Since 2010, the David and Jean Wiley Foundation has given the HCC Foundation nearly $1M in scholarships to support student success. These funds help cover the cost of tuition and books each semester for qualifying students.

Husband and wife Sam and Norma Gainer are the faces of the non-profit foundation and say its namesake, David Wiley, had a soft spot in his heart for people who did not have the money to go to college.

“It is so incredible to see people of all ages who want to further their education so they will have job opportunities to support their families,” said Sam Gainer.

The Gainers recently had a chance to meet the students who received a Wiley Scholarship for the 2015/2016 academic year during the annual HCC Foundation Scholarship Luncheon honoring the donors and recipients.

“What a joy it was to put a face behind the name of these scholarship recipients. The thing we love about HCC is that you really do get a lot of bang for your buck,” said Norma Gainer. “As a former teacher, it is a pleasure to see these students get their first two years of college for not as much money as four year schools.”

The recipients were equally thrilled to get the chance to say thank you to the Gainers.

“This scholarship just brings joy to my heart because it gives me hope that I can accomplish my goals,” said Shareeta Gable, Wiley Scholarship Recipient and single mother who seeks to be a positive role model for her son. “I want to show my son that if I can do it, he can do it too.”

For information on the David and Jean Wiley Scholarship and the many other scholarships offered through the HCC Foundation, visit hccsfoundation.org/scholarships.