2018 Career and Technology Education Advisory Board scholarship winners, gather at the luncheon for a celebratory photo.
HOUSTON – May 14, 2018 – From the opening welcome to the keynote address, the Spring ISD Career and Technology Education Advisory Board Scholarship Luncheon focused on student achievement, but the highlight of the event was when this year’s 11 scholarship winners each went up on the stage to be recognized with their scholarship sponsor.
“I always like meeting the students. I always want to express my appreciation for all of their hard work and to wish them good luck in continuing their future education.” said Donna Lewis, a founding CTE Advisory Board director and longtime supporter of the scholarship program. “It is not only important to me, but it is important to that student to know that someone cared enough to make sure that they had a little help in getting started with their future education.”
The banquet hall was full of individuals like Lewis who came to show their support for the scholarship winners. During the program, which featured current and former students throughout, CTE supporters could see and hear first-hand how the program impacts students.
Emcee Jizyah Shorts, current Miss Houston 2018 and a graduate of Dekaney High School who pursued a health services career pathway at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, shared memories of her CTE experience. “I always knew I wanted to go into healthcare, and I attribute that to my experiences in CTE and the opportunities I had that really helped me make that decision,” Shorts said.
Keynote speaker, Arin Holliman – a Westfield High School graduate of the CTE program at Wunsche – gave a keynote speech that acknowledged the influence of CTE on his success. Holliman, who joined Wealth Development Strategies LLC upon graduating from Howard University in 2017, described CTE as contemporary and timely education for the 21st Century.
“There are five elements to Spring ISD’s brand of CTE: application, collaboration, knowledge, skills and leadership,” Holliman said. Then speaking directly to the scholarship recipients, he encouraged them to become leaders. “Please condition yourself to lead. Lead with dignity, lead with equity and lead with responsibility. Not only was I conditioned in the aforementioned principles, but I was put in positions where I had to employ them.”
He concluded with a message directed at both the graduating seniors and the CTE advocates and supporters in the audience, when he said, “To the soon to be graduates and scholarship recipients, my charge to you is simple. Use what you have to get where you want to go. You are very fortunate to have been nurtured by such capable hands. Use the tools you were given to create, develop, establish and grow. To the CTE supporters, our parents and faculty and staff alike, you are the root of this mighty tree. Continue to anchor us, so that we may continue to grow onward and upward, be fruitful and eventually sprout and anchor mighty trees of our very own.”
The 2018 CTE $1,000 Scholarship winners are:
- Sa’De Black, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School plans to major in biology at Bryn Mawr College. Her scholarship sponsor is Comcast.
- Diana Do, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, plans to major in chemistry at the University of Houston. Her scholarship sponsor is the Donna Lewis Family in memory of Paul Lewis.
- Jada Douglas, Dekaney High School plans to major in nursing at Prairie View A&M University after attending Lone Star College. Her scholarship sponsor is Clunn Acoustical Systems.
- Royce Hooks, Carl Wunsche Sr. /Dekaney High School Valedictorian, plans to pursue a biology degree at Prairie View A&M University. His scholarship sponsor is Professional Career Technical Institute.
- An Ly, Westfield High School, plans to major in nursing at the University of Texas. Her scholarship sponsor is Betty V. Jones, R.N.
- Kaislyn Lyons, Spring High School Valedictorian, plans to major in biomedical sciences at Sam Houston State University. Her scholarship sponsor is CenterPoint Energy.
- Destiny Morris, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, will major in civil engineering and construction science at Texas A&M University. Her scholarship sponsor is Mirror Lake Landscapes, Pools & Waterfalls.
- Lan Nguyen, Westfield High School, will major in dental hygiene at Texas Woman’s University. Her scholarship sponsor is Boyer, Inc.
- Courtney Suydam, Spring High School, intends to major in education at Texas A&M Texarkana. Her scholarship sponsor is The Jones/Munford Family.
- Lina Tran, Westfield High School, will major in biology at the University of Texas. Her scholarship sponsor is ExxonMobil.
- Domonix Watanak, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, plans to major in psychology at the University of Texas. Her scholarship sponsor is Taylor Smith Consulting, LLC.
In addition to student scholarships, funds raised by the CTE Advisory Board during the past decade have provided teachers with program scholarships for classroom innovation, and certification scholarships for students pursuing industry certifications.