聚焦系列:Gabino Olalde

帕洛阿尔托学院's annual scholarship fundraiser, ¡Una Nueva Celebración!, 筹得超过$1,000,000 in committed funds to directly support students, 教师, and staff in continuing their education. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) gave five full-ride scholarships (tuition, 房间, and board) for 帕洛阿尔托学院 students to attend UTRGV upon completing their associate degrees. Gabino Olalde was selected as one of the scholarship recipients.

Adjusting to a new culture and learning an entirely different language is no small feat. Add a college education on top of that, and you have what would seem an insurmountable obstacle for some. Although the odds seem stacked against him, Gabino Olalde is determined to overcome any adversity that comes his way.

Having immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 2003, Olalde still finds difficulty in adjusting to a new culture. 尽管有这样的挑战, he willed his way through grade and high school and now finds himself pursuing an associate degree at 帕洛阿尔托学院.

As he gets 关闭r and 关闭r to obtaining his degree, Olalde is sure to keep his eye on the prize; because to him, that degree has far greater value than many might think.

"Getting an education is probably one of the most important things in my life, 还有每个人的生活,奥拉尔德说. "Education is really valuable not only because it helps you get a better job or get ahead in life, but also because you gain that knowledge to help your kids and help the future generations as well."

The scholarship from UTRGV provides an opportunity for Olalde to focus on the education that he so greatly values without worrying about how to pay for it.

"I was really worried about getting loans and being in debt, so the scholarship means the world to me,奥拉尔德说.

他很感激这次机会, and understands that he and his family would not be in this position without the help from his father.

"When he first came to the states, he came here illegally,奥拉尔德说. "He was working low-end jobs, met the right people, and he became legal... He did everything possible for us to come here the right way. I just want to do everything possible to see that his adversity was worth it."

Though things may seem tough at times, Olalde knows it is important to persevere. That's a lesson taught to him by his high school cross country coach, who continues his own personal fight against bone marrow cancer.

"He's one of the reasons I keep going,奥拉尔德说. “他感到非常痛苦... 但他还在外面. 如果他能做到这一点，我就能做得更多."

Olalde says he will miss his family when he moves to his new school in Fall 2019, but he is ready and looking forward to what's ahead.

"I think missing my parents and my little brother will probably be the biggest obstacle,奥拉尔德说. "Other than that, I'm really excited."

UTRGV承诺815美元,000 in total to support the five full-ride UTRGV scholarships for graduating PAC students – 艾伦Galindo, 泰勒男妓, 艾米丽·哈蒙, 乔纳森•吉恩, and Gabino Olalde – while also committing 150 scholarships for employees to use toward their master's and doctoral degrees from UTRGV, funding for five research assistantships, 再加25美元,000 donation to the general PAC Scholarship Fund to support students currently attending 帕洛阿尔托学院.

Funding provided through valuable partnerships, 比如UTRGV, provides scholarships to help 帕洛阿尔托学院 students attain their educational goals. The 阿拉莫大学 Foundation facilitates over 40 scholarship opportunities, which students attending 帕洛阿尔托学院 or anywhere in the 十大网赌正规网址官网区 can apply for with a single application. The 2019 scholarship application will open on Jan. 7, 2019. 欲了解更多信息，请访问 阿拉莫.edu/pac/scholarships.