The SISD Foundation for Excellence in Education awarded scholarships to 42 graduating seniors from the class of 2024, supporting their academic pursuits at colleges and universities nationwide.
Alan Moreno received a $3,000 scholarship before graduating from Socorro High School in June. Moreno planned to study clinical laboratory science at the University of Texas at El Paso this fall.
“I’m still processing this, but it’s obviously a good way to be recognized for all the academic things that I have done,” Moreno said at the SISD Foundation’s scholarship ceremony on May 14. “I’m really happy.”
Since 2005, the SISD Foundation has provided postsecondary education scholarships to students through fundraising activities such as Socorro ISD's annual golf tournament and contributions from employees and the community. Last year’s golf tournament raised $179,000, bringing the total of scholarship funds raised by the foundation to over $1 million.
This spring, the SISD Foundation awarded five scholarships to students at each of the six comprehensive high schools in the Socorro Independent School District. One student from Mission Early College High School and another from Options High School received scholarships. Additionally, 10 graduating seniors secured community scholarships from private donors.
The foundation has awarded more than 500 scholarships to deserving seniors to date. SISD Foundation President Esther McCarthy said that many scholarship recipients have graduated from top-tier colleges and universities, making a significant impact on the world.
“Some of them are going on to medical school,” McCarthy said. “They are becoming psychologists and engineers, so they are going to impact the world. And it all started here in Socorro ISD. So, we want everyone to know who contributes that their money is well spent and is really going to make a difference for not just our community but in the world.”
Eastlake High School graduate Joshua Morales said that the scholarship would ease some of the financial strain for him and his parents in covering tuition at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he plans to study nursing.
“It makes me feel really accomplished and just really proud that I'm able to like step out of my boundary and go (to Texas Tech) outside of El Paso,” said Joshua Morales, who is the first in his family to attend college.
Joshua Morales’s mother, Bernadette Morales, said her son deserved the scholarship because of his hard work, dedication, and leadership at school.
“I hope for him to go and spread his wings,” Bernadette Morales said. “The sky’s the limit. He’s going to accomplish great things.”