Midland College Legacy Scholars receive transfer scholarships, award philanthropic grantsMay 02, 2023

Midland College held its end-of-the-year Legacy Scholars celebration on Wednesday evening, April 26, in the Allison Fine Arts Building on the Midland College main campus.  Funded by four local foundations—Abell-Hanger Foundation, Scharbauer Foundation, Helen Greathouse Charitable Trust, and Chaparral Foundation--the Legacy Scholars Program promotes student academic success and development of philanthropy and leadership skills. This program provides access to college through scholarships and support for success through leadership training, networking, community involvement and success coaching.

Legacy Scholars must complete community service hours and are then encouraged to write essays about their experiences serving local nonprofit agencies.  During the Legacy Scholars celebration, five of the students received a $1,000 stipend for their winning essays.  These five students are Fabian Avalos, Maria Bustamante Garcia, Maria Gonzalez, Diana Carrasco Lujan and Hannah Sanchez.

To learn the importance of philanthropy and giving back to the community, Legacy Scholars also raise funds in order to award grants to local nonprofits.  The funds are matched by Abell-Hanger Foundation, and the Legacy Scholars visit the agencies that submit grant proposals so that they can learn more about their needs.

“I was very impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and their desire to learn as much as possible about our organization,” Lee Anna Goode from Safe Place of the Permian Basin said.  “They visited our new location and seemed to take a genuine interest in our services.”  

The Legacy Scholars awarded $2,200 to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Permian Basin to help fund a marketing campaign, $2,700 to Bynum School to provide assistance with tuition; $1,700 to Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center for therapy mats and $5,894 to Safe Place of the Permian Basin toward the purchase of a utility vehicle.

The evening concluded with the announcement of the winners of the Herbert L. Cartwright Education Continuance Scholarship.  Abell-Hanger Foundation awards these scholarships ($12,500 per year for two years) to Midland College Legacy Scholars as they transfer to a four-year university to complete a baccalaureate degree.  Winners of the 2023 Herbert L. Cartwright Continuing Education Scholarship are Jose Amaya, Anysa Casteneda, Maria Bustamante Garcia, Maria Gonzalez, Diana Carrasco Lujan, Jennifer Pallares, Leah Speed, Trinity Tapley, Ty Williams and Jeannine Woolsey.

Photo:  Legacy Scholars receiving the Herbert L. Cartwright Education Continuance Scholarship.  From left to right:  Jose Amaya, Maria Gonzalez, Anysa Castaneda, Maria Bustamante Garcia, Diana Carrasco Lujan, Jennifer Pallares, Leah Speed, Ty Williams and Jeannine Woolsey  Not pictured:  Trinity Tapley