LEVELLAND, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) – The following is a news release from South Plains College:
Prosperity Bank honored 12 South Plains College nursing students by awarding scholarships to help them further their education. Sarah Estrada, Prosperity Bank lobby manager, and Brian Riedel, president for Prosperity Bank, made the presentations Wednesday (April 24) during the event hosted by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations.
According to Estrada, the scholarship initiative began in 2002 by W.R. Collier, then-president of American State Bank. Its purpose was to award scholarships to nursing students in the Lubbock County area. When Prosperity Bank purchased American State in 2012, they continued with the scholarship tradition.
The ASB Endowed Scholarship recipients are Ramon Hernandez of Lubbock, Elisha Ann Rodriguez of Plainview, Claire Seymour of Denver City, Leslie Prieto Ruiz of Levelland and Melanie Shahan of Lubbock. Hernandez plans to graduate from SPC in May 2020 and then apply to Texas Tech University to obtain a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing. Rodriguez, currently a licensed vocational nurse at Covenant Hospital, plans to complete her associate’s degree and continue on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Seymour, who plans to graduate in May 2020, said she has always dream of becoming a nurse. Ruiz plans to graduate in May 2020 and continue on to Texas Tech to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Shahan plans to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree after completing her degree at SPC. She wants to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner.
Ashley Johnson of Lubbock is the recipient of the Les and Virginia Proffitt Scholarship. She plans to obtain her associate’s and bachelor’s degree in nursing and possibly a master’s degree while she works at a hospital in Lubbock.
Aaron Gonzales of Lockney is the recipient of the R.C. Johnson Endowed Nursing Scholarship. He plans to complete his associate’s degree in nursing in December 2020 and attend Texas Tech or Lubbock Christian University where he will complete a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Recipients of the Sara Daviss Atkinson Scholarship are Vanessa Gonzales-Villegas of Levelland; Justin Rivas of Lubbock; Jana LaRue of Lubbock; Mia Gonzales of Lubbock; and Christine
Ogawa of Levelland. Gonzales-Villegas plans to work for University Medical Center while she continues her education at Texas Tech upon completion of her associate’s degree in May 2020. Rivas, who plans to work in acute care after completing his associate’s degree in May 2020, wants to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. LaRue, currently a licensed vocational nurse, plans to obtain her associate’s degree followed by a master’s and possibly her nurse practitioner license. Gonzales, who currently works for Covenant Children’s Hospital, plans to work as a nurse for Covenant Hospital after she graduates in December 2020. Ogawa, an international student from Kenya, plans to obtain her master’s degree in nursing.
(News release from South Plains College)