HCC gives out scholarships during Honduran Festival
Aug 23, 2017
Festive Latino music and the smell of Central American cuisine wafted through the Houston Community College (HCC) West Loop Campus during the 2017 Internacional Honduras Fest. This is the first year the decade-old festival has been held at HCC.
“This year we made the decision to move the festival closer to the community where our people reside and host it on the southwest side of town,” Honduras Festival Founder Arles Solis shared. “We knew we wanted to change lives, and by working with HCC to give out scholarships, we get the chance to do it.”
It turned out to be beneficial move to relocate the event to HCC, which is enriched with a diverse international community. By partnering with HCC, more than a thousand members of the Honduran community were able to meet various local Honduran businesses and organizations located close to home.
As an added incentive, attendees had the chance to win money for college.
“Festival goers entered a raffle to win a $1,000 HCC scholarship,” said event organizer Roland Granmajo. “We’ve been really lucky to have many sponsors over the years, and we’re happy we can include HCC.”
The raffle turned out to be a huge success, with five lucky participants each receiving a $1,000 scholarship to attend HCC.
“The scholarship winners got the opportunity to start a new career, continue their education or go to college for the first time here at HCC,” said HCC Southwest Recruiter Enid Atilano. “This is a life-changing opportunity for the winners and it feels great to be a part of an institution that gives back to the community.”
Many festival goers stopped by the HCC table to pick up information on how to register for classes, continuing education programs, intensive English courses as well as learn more about the various programs offered at HCC.
“It is priceless to hand scholarships and information to residents of the Honduran community,” said HCC International Studies Student Recruiter Ronnie Turner. “HCC is one of the most diverse community colleges in the nation and we are a welcoming home for international students. We want to nurture these relationships because HCC is about providing educational opportunities.”
For more information on how to register for classes this fall, visit: hccs.edu/apply.