CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Eleven local students were honored Tuesday night as their loved ones gathered to celebrate scholarships from CoastLife Credit Union. The recipients were chosen from more than 300 applicants.
The scholarships support seven high school seniors, three undergraduate students, and one trade school student.
Gina Bryant, CEO of CoastLife Credit Union, said the event brings together recipients and their families to mark the occasion.
"Each year our board of directors approves $1,500 scholarships for 11 lucky individuals that are pursuing further education, and so we invite them all and their families to join us to celebrate them receiving their award."
Among the recipients is John Hinojosa from Odom, a valedictorian with a 4.3 GPA heading to UT Austin to study civil engineering. He said the scholarship eases the financial pressure of college.
"It gives me a little bit of relief knowing that I won't have as much of the financial burden when it comes to college, so it gives me a sense of relief that I get to focus more on my studies and my education."
Board of Directors member Michael Sandroussi said the students represent resilience and determination.
"A lot of them come from broken homes - moms raising kids by themselves or dads raising kids by themselves. They've had a lot of obstacles to get through, but they got through them, and they're here and they're in the top 10%."
For students looking for scholarship opportunities, Hinojosa offered advice.
"I would tell them definitely put in the work it takes a lot of effort and I know my senior year in high school, it took a lot of effort. I was always in my counselor's office working on scholarships, so start early and just keep putting in the work every day."
As these recipients go on to further their education, the message in the room was to dream big and work hard.
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