The GROW SFCC Foundation 2012 Scholarship Recipients

Yolanda Arrey - Contract for a Better Tomorrow Scholarship

Yolanda Arrey, 62, says she treasures Santa Fe’s rich culture and family traditions. She has found joy in helping others, working on the Santa Fe Fiesta Council and encouraging her children toward their personal and educational goals. When she divorced and then lost her job, she drew strength from family and friends.

She came to realize that she had been given an opportunity to pursue work she is passionate about. At SFCC, studying for an associate degree in human services, she’s turned challenges into new and exciting experiences.

A 3.86 GPA and a spot on the Dean’s List have shown that Yolanda was capable of returning to school. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree, and likely a master’s, and hopes “to be one of the best social workers working with the elderly population.” And why not? As Yolanda said, “I realized that I could achieve anything I set my mind to.”

Saine Atencio - Contract for a Better Tomorrow Scholarship

Sainie Atencio, 35, knows her first responsibility is to her four children. When she lost her job as a bookkeeper and office manager when the company she worked for went under in 2007, she focused her efforts on selling jewelry, baked goods and tamales on Santo Domingo Pueblo, her home.

When her oldest son was ready to consider college, she brought him to a student orientation at SFCC. She was thinking about taking a class or two, to be on campus with him as he adjusted to the new world of college. But the view from orientation presenters of how lives are changed with a college education inspired Sainie to enroll. She was admitted immediately and applied for financial aid and scholarships.

“I’m my children’s number one role model and I’m setting an example that getting a college degree is important,” she said.

Karen Boggs - John Wilson Memorial Scholarship

Coming from a large family with two self-employed parents, Karen Boggs didn’t think she had the funds to pursue a college education. She went straight to work after high school, eventually getting a real estate license. When making a living at real estate became increasingly difficult due to the economy, Karen knew she needed another option to earn a living. So now she’s working toward an associate degree in accounting at SFCC.

Karen has come to realize that earning a college degree results in more than what she used to think of as a “little piece of paper. Earning a degree will help give me back my sense of self-worth and help me return to the workplace as a productive member of our society.” After completing an associate degree in accounting, she plans again to head straight to work – but this time, it will be on a bachelor’s degree.

Edward Davidson - I Have a Dream Scholarship

Ed Davidson knows now that the door had been opened to him many times by friends concerned about his well-being. Ed attributes his decision to earn an associate degree in human services to his own process of recovery. At age 51, Ed came to SFCC three years ago and found academic, financial and emotional support.
“Faculty, administrators all want to see students succeed; they’re not just numbers,” he said. All I’ve gotten from this community college was 100 percent support.”

The GROW scholarships he’s received help him make ends meet. Ed shares his experience with younger students through Student Ambassadors and as a work-study student in the Title V First-Year Student Experience program. 
Ed competes with his daughter, who attends San Juan Community College, over who can earn the higher GPA. Ed wanted his daughter to see that if he could be successful, she could be, too. I say, ‘Wow! I did this. I’m likely to be able to do the next step.’”

Leonardo Zambrano - McCune Foundation Endowed Scholarship

The first semester of college can teach some tough lessons. Leonardo Zambrano, who graduated from Capital High in 2011, learned that first hand. After finding classes in high school unchallenging, Leonardo found completing coursework at SFCC more difficult.

That first semester toward an associate degree in business and accounting offered another lesson: Life can present some tough breaks. Because his GPA was .04 below the required 2.5, Leonardo didn’t qualify for the New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship.

A counselor at SFCC directed him to the page on SFCC’s Web site that lists other scholarship possibilities. “They guided me through it,” he said. “The counselor said I shouldn’t be so bummed out about the lottery. I got over it. I moved on.” Leonardo’s GPA is now an admirable 3.54. “Thanks to the GROW scholarship, I feel motivated to work harder this year and keep up my GPA.”