The PepsiCo Foundation awarded 10 Dallas College students with $25,000 per year scholarships to remove financial barriers to them continuing their education at a four-year college or university.
To apply for a S.M.I.L.E. (Success Matters in Life and Education) scholarship, Dallas College (DC) students had to fulfill certain requirements, such as being a racial or ethnic minority, planning to attend a four-year undergraduate program in pursuit of a degree in business or STEM, and having already completed 45 credit hours.
“A single scholarship can be the catalyst for these ambitious students to complete their education, build generational wealth within their families, and contribute to a stronger community for all,” explained C.D. Glin, president of the PepsiCo Foundation and global head of social impact at PepsiCo in a statement.
The DC students named as having been selected for this prize include Valeria Bello De Armas, Christina Castillo, Immanol Hernandez, David Iglesias, Gisselle Lopez, Justus Woods, and Annie Zelaya. Three others weren’t named in the release.
For Castillo, now a transfer student in communication technology at the University of Texas at Arlington, learning that she had won a S.M.I.L.E. scholarship brought on a wave of emotions.
“I was so thrilled and excited by having my hard work recognized,” Castillo said. “At the same time, I was filled with so much gratitude. I am thankful to the scholarship committee for selecting me and appreciative of PepsiCo Foundation for making this achievement possible and supporting underrepresented students.”
Former DC student Iglesias similarly referred to the news as “a dream come true.” Now pursuing a degree at Texas A&M University, he hopes to work one day as a robotic or automation engineer.
Woods stressed how the scholarship will change his experience attending Southern Methodist University (SMU) in pursuit of a marketing degree.
“The PepsiCo S.M.I.L.E. scholarship is allowing me to attend SMU without the stress of working full time to cover tuition but also with the freedom to pursue extracurricular activities. Along with the privilege to live on campus, it will provide me the opportunity to take full advantage of the inspiring SMU community,” Woods said.
Once homeless and facing $20,000 in medical debt due to a neurological condition causing seizures, Zelaya felt immediate relief upon learning she had won the award.
“When I received the news that I was a recipient of the scholarship, I cried and felt a large weight lifted off my shoulders,” Zelaya said. “The scholarship will cover the costs of my first year at the university, allowing me to allocate finances to my medical needs. I will have no worries of affording tuition, supplies, and housing.”
She is now at UT Arlington studying information systems and hopes to work one day as a developer.
Over 125,000 students enroll at DC each year, with thousands receiving more than $42 million in scholarships and grants since the creation of the Dallas College Foundation in 1973.
As reported in The Dallas Express, DC received a $468,309 taxpayer-funded grant award for a workforce development initiative with Gainwell Technologies this summer. The funds went to train over 240 new and current employees “to increase their skills across IT systems, increase efficiency in the delivery of products, and prepare employees to replace retiring workers,” according to a press release.
