Five UNT students, one alumna receive Hispanic Scholarship Fund awards

Five UNT students and one recent graduate have received scholarships from the national Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the largest number of UNT students ever to receive HSF awards.

HSF was founded in 1975 by a California educator. The non-profit organization's mission is to double the rate of Hispanic students earning college degrees. Using private donations to fund the program from corporations such as IBM, General Electric and General Mills, the agency awards college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. They are available for undergraduates of Hispanic heritage who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents and who have completed at least 12 academic hours meeting certain grade point average requirements.

Receiving $2,500 awards were Monica Galindo, a junior psychology major; Patricia Lozoya, a master's student in communication design; Sergio Moreno, a junior English major; and Enedelia Sauceda, a recent graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology who plans to begin a doctoral program in counseling psychology at Oklahoma State University this fall. Monica Rojas, a junior criminal justice major, received $2,000, and Carlos Gámez Jr., a junior music education major, received $1,750.

James Duban, director of the UNT Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships, says the Hispanic Scholarship Fund "recognizes extremely bright students who stand to make major contributions in their fields of study and in life generally."

"How wonderful that HSF has recognized so much of that potential here at UNT," he says.

Galindo is member of the Association of Latin American Students and Psi Chi, and a scholar in the Ronald E. McNair Post- Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. After graduating from UNT in May 2005, Galindo plans to attend graduate school and eventually earn a doctoral degree in counseling psychology.

Lozoya is a teaching assistant in UNT's School of Visual Arts and was a mentor in the school's Teaching Assistant Mentorship Program, preparing new graduate students to teach introductory design courses to undergraduates. She plans to become a communication design professor after she receives her degree from UNT in May 2005.

Moreno plans to teach English as a second language and earn a master's degree in English after graduating from UNT in 2006.

Sauceda graduated with honors May 8. While at UNT, she was vice president and historian of the Association of Latin American Citizens; publicity chair of Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology students; and a member of the Hispanic Business Student Organization. She was also a scholar in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. McNair students, who are the first in their families to attend college, conduct research with faculty mentors to become prepared for doctoral study.

She plans to become a counseling psychologist and teach at a college or university.

While at UNT, Rojas has served as a volunteer with the Multicultural Center and the Women's Center and as a volunteer tutor for Discovery, a federally funded program that helps selected undergraduates meet the challenges of college. She is also a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, a national honor society for criminal justice students, and serves as the chair of the volunteer services committee. She plans to pursue a career in criminal investigation after receiving her degree in May 2005.

Gámez, an accomplished musician, plays the flute in the North Texas Concert Band. He is a member of the University Honors Program and was named to the Dean's List for the past two years. He plans to earn a graduate degree in flute performance and a doctoral degree in orchestral conducting after he receives his degree from UNT in May 2006.

BY NANCY KOLSTI nkolsti@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Six faculty recognized at UNT's annual Honors Day celebration
• UNT students win top awards in Texas broadcast competition
• Administrators answer faculty questions during town hall meeting
• Staff awards presented at sack lunch
• Pohl appointed to SACS Commission on Colleges
• Staff Council hears reports about Enterprise Information System, Star Performer award
• Summer camps for children planned at UNT
• UNT prepares to welcome area youth for National Youth Sports Program

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