Category Archives: Higher ED

Pizza Hut Foundation Programs

“In the United States there are more than 900,000 college-bound students who qualify for financial assistance each year. Yet almost 90% of these students don’t receive adequate guidance or support, leaving hundreds of thousands of students’ needs unmet.”

Funder: The Pizza Hut Foundation & Kaleidoscope

Purpose: The Pizza Hut Foundation will award scholarships for education to students who are financially disadvantaged and who prove leadership and community involvement in and around Pizza Hut communities.

Eligibility: For students enrolled in or on track to apply to two or four year colleges or universities, vocational technical schools and trade schools. Students must be legal residents of the United States, Guam or D.C., be at least age 17 and no older than 26. Additionally, they must be eligible for federal financial aid at the college or school they plan to attend.

Application Period: July 10th, 2023-August 31st, 2023 11:59PM (Central Time). This looks like an annual opportunity so if you’re not ready for this year, figure out your footprints in the community and get ready for the next year!

Application Link (see Apply Now button): pizzahutfoundation.org/programs/

I love the lil’ personal pan Pizza Hut pizzas. Takes me back to my Book It! days, which still exists by the way. Sign up if you teach Pre-K through 6th! bookitprogram.com

For a steady stream of updates on Scholarships and other opportunities, follow Ms. Susy Ruiz click here

Rocky Galarza Scholarship 2022

For our juniors and seniors out there preparing for college. Check out this scholarship opportunity with the Basketball in the Barrio organization. It’s the Rocky Galarza Scholarship Award. This is the form and the contact information is included at the numbers above. I’ll be glad to forward your application as well email mrleebooks@gmail.com. The application requires a response to the question “What does giving back to the community mean to me?” In the future, I hope to share more scholarship fund highlights on this blog as well. This is my sixth year coming up teaching in the public school system, which means as a middle school teacher, those 6th graders we had are either already there or a few steps closer to college plans. If this one’s too soon for your plans, no worries, I plan on sharing more in the future. Also see a previous post about Ms. Susy’s scholarship Instagram page. Make sure to follow!

Scholarship Opportunities @mssusyruiz

I’ve been teaching middle school now long enough to know students that are making that transition into higher ed and opportunities beyond grade school. If college is in your path and you’re in need of financial assistance, I recommend you follow Ms. Susy Ruiz if you’re on Instagram. Her handle is @mssusyruiz

She posts on a daily basis the latest updates on scholarships for students of all backgrounds and interests. Each post includes a summary of the scholarship opportunity with instructions on how to apply. If you were once enrolled in my class and need further assistance for understanding an opportunity and applying feel free to have your family reach out. I’d be more than glad to help our Cobras with their applications for scholarship and financial assistance. In my experience transitioning into life as an undergraduate (I attended New Mexico State University the summer after graduating from Andress High School), there is no way that I would’ve been able to make that happen without the financial aid and especially the scholarships I was fortunate enough to discover before graduating from high school. This included an annual scholarship from the local Theta Delta Lambda Foundation and a tuition scholarship from the Supercomputing Challenge in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Ms. Susy Ruiz posts will connect you to a lot more opportunities out there for students looking to attend college/university study.

If you’re on IG, follow! Below is a screen shot of her page. You can also find the link in the Student Resources link.

Phoenix’s Legacy

Phoenix’s legacy click here

Here’s an article that I wanted to share…This year I had the privilege of arranging plans for our 6th graders at Canyon Hills Middle School’s Cobra Tech program to attend the UTEP Young Achiever’s Forum.  I didn’t know much about the program other than what I reviewed on the brochure. When I was in grade school, I didn’t get the chance to visit a University until my senior year in high school and it had a profound impact on my future in higher ed. A month prior to the event, I had instructions to identify 25 students we can take and was able to push the limit to 35 knowing how valuable and fun the experience would be for our 6th graders. What hit even deeper though was the evening before we gathered at school to catch the bus to the event I saw the following news report about Robert Andrew Phoenix and his parents Norma Favela and Jaime Barceleau.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to have attended this event with our students and even more so that we had the chance to connect with Mrs. Favela and learn about the impact Robert Andrew Phoenix had on his community & the Young Achievers Forum. For Cobra Tech parents reading this post whose sons or daughters had the chance to attend the Young Achievers Forum that day, I hope you take some time to read the article and watch the video and perhaps share it with someone else.  I dedicate this post to the soul & memory of Robert Andrew Phoenix and his family. Thank you.

Phoenix’s legacy: El Paso mom looks to maintain her son’s memory & desire to give following his untimely death click here

UTEP’s PayDirt Promise

“We know that many of our students’ families face major financial challenges,” Natalicio said. “This program will enable us to provide innovative and strategic financial support, minimize the burden of student debt and achieve UTEP’s goal of fostering social mobility.”

UTEP is looking to help more local students who may be struggling to pay for the lofty fees associated with higher education.

According to a news release, the PayDirt Promise program will cover tuition and mandatory fees for students whose families earn $40,000 or less per year.

UTEP to Cover Tuition, Fees for Students Whose Families Earn $40K or Less Annually
Full Article: https://www.ktsm.com/news/education/utep-to-cover-tuition-fees-for-students-whose-families-earn-40k-or-less-annually/

About the UTEP PayDirt Promise: click here