On June 1, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Fe Steakhouse and Security Service Federal Credit Union awarded fourteen $1,000 scholarships to graduates of McAllen High School, Memorial High School, Nikki Rowe High School and Achieve Early College High School. The students were honored at a reception at the Santa Fe Steakhouse where they received their scholarship awards.
The Chamber’s Education Initiatives Program is funded in part through the efforts of the Santa Fe Steakhouse Wine Classic, which has been held every year since 2009 to benefit the Chamber’s efforts in education and student advancement. The program also receives proceeds from the Chamber’s Presidents’ Cup Golf Tournament, which is sponsored by Security Service Federal Credit Union every year.
This past year, through the Chamber’s Education Initiatives Program, the Chamber has awarded $1,500 to the UTPA alumni association, $1,000 to the Friends of the IB, $2,000 to the International Baccalaureate Program for its science lab, $1,500 to the McAllen Education Foundation, $15,000 to McAllen ISD for the Transforming U Mentoring Program, and $14,000 in scholarships to McAllen ISD graduates.
This year’s McAllen Chamber scholarship recipients are from McAllen High School: Madison Abbott, Julia Ruiz, Kristen Peña and Abraham Arenas; from Memorial High School: Brandon Tiu, Isabel Sariol, Joshua Velasquez and Estefania Carrillo; from Rowe High School: Laiba Asif, Mary Grace Chiu, Alec Calvillo, and Mandira Banik; and from Achieve Early College High School: Octaviano Bermea and Bridget M. Garcia.
This year, the Santa Fe Wine Classic is scheduled for Friday, October 16 at Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen. For more information regarding the Chamber’s Education Initiatives Program or the Santa Fe Wine Classic, please call Gerry Garcia at 682-2871.
Cutline: At the awards ceremony with MISD students are seated from left: Security Service Federal Credit Union Manager Robert Chamberlain and Albert & Sony Rego, owners of the Santa Fe Steakhouse.
