From the left: Reynaldo Guerrero (Houston), Sergio Rosas (Reagan), Kirsten Hayes (Wheatley), DeShaun Harris (Yates), and Francisco Rodriguez (Davis), were five of the 650 graduating HISD seniors to receive college scholarships from Project GRAD in 2009. More than 4,000 qualifiers have received the scholarships since 1992. HOUSTON- For almost two full decades, Project GRAD Houston has been providing college scholarships to graduating seniors from selected HISD high schools. But many of the students who participate in that program take away more than just a high-school diploma and a $4,000 check to offset the cost of tuition, textbooks, and the other expenses that accompany the quest for higher education.
They also take with them a newfound confidence in their ability to make things happen, and the drive they will need to reach their goals after graduation.
“Project GRAD has given me the motivation to apply for other scholarships,” said Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center student Reynaldo Guerrero, who was honored with more than 650 other seniors from five HISD campuses during a special awards ceremony on May 21, 2009.
In addition to the funds he received from Project GRAD, Guerrero is also the recipient of a Jesse H. Jones Scholarship from the Houston Endowment, Inc., and another from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Combined, these will enable him to realize his dream of studying foreign language at the University of Texas, proving the perfect example of the ceremony’s theme, “From Diplomas to Degrees.”
“Project GRAD has helped me believe in myself,” added Sergio Rosas, a graduating senior from John Reagan High School. “Thanks to Project GRAD, I feel that I can be successful in life and I can help others be successful as well.” Rosas plans to study criminal justice at the University of Texas Pan America.
Kirsten Hayes, who will graduate from Phillis Wheatley High School this spring, said that while she deeply appreciates the chance to graduate from college “without any financial burdens,” Project GRAD’s primary legacy for her is the ability “to go over and beyond my expectations in life.” She also offered advice to students considering participation in the program this fall. “Take the opportunity to persevere for your future. It would be better to work hard now and play later, than play now and work even harder in the future. Pick your destiny.”
In addition to Jones, Reagan, and Wheatley, other graduating seniors in the Project GRAD program come from Jefferson Davis and Jack Yates High Schools. Collectively, they will receive $2.6 million in noncompetitive scholarships, which they may use at any accredited college or university in the country.
This year’s graduates join more than 4,000 other qualifiers who have been awarded the scholarship since the program’s inception in 1992, an investment by Project GRAD Houston and its community partners of more than $16 million in the future of our communities, our city, and our nation