December 16, 2014 | SharkAdmin In this Issue: Message from Dr. Ric Baser Integrity: NVC Grad Reports National News Synergy: Mother, Daughter Share Degree Openness: Graduation Volunteers Needed Community: NVC Awards Two Alumni and Friends Scholarships Caring: Vista Alum Helps Students Joy: STAGES – Summer Arts Junior Master Classes in Music and Dance Diversity: Celebrate Vista! 20 Year Anniversary Creativity: Vista Connects Learning: Scholarship Breakfast Recognizes Donors and Students Ways to Connect Message from Dr. Ric Baser Hello NVC Alumni and Friends, As this will be my first graduation ceremony at Northwest Vista College, I am excited to be a part of such an important event in the lives of our graduates. There is a strong connection that has been forged between the community and this campus. Local business leaders have shared how important our graduates are to the success of their businesses and their future growth. The reputation that NVC graduates have in our community is a direct result of your own accomplishments. In recognition of these relationships, this year’s graduation ceremony will include guest speaker Rosantina Aranda, Vice President of Frost Bank and current Chair of the NVC Business Council. Rosantina is a staunch supporter of education and the NVC mission of Creating Opportunities for Success. She has expressed her enthusiasm in congratulating and encouraging the Class of 2015. This year, we are also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Northwest Vista College. I welcome you to send in your own stories to help inspire and encourage students. Tell us what you remember most about Northwest Vista, or offer some advice that we might share with NVC’s Class of 2015. In addition, we will be sending you invitations to a series of ¡Celebrate Vista! 20th Anniversary events coming up later this year. Dr. Ric Baser President NVC Grad Reports National News Photo Courtesy of Michael Berkman for Univision Arantxa Loizaga, NVC Class of 2007 “Dream big, work hard and always strive to be better than yesterday.” Northwest Vista College graduate Arantxa Loizaga is now the network co-anchor for Univision’s weekend newscast “Noticero Univision” which airs nationally at 6:30 and 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The NVC alumna graduated in 2007 with an Associate of Arts in Communications. She has since become an award-winning journalist who has interviewed the likes of President Barack Obama, former Mexican President Vicente Fox, and former Mayor and current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, to name a few. Arantxa Loizaga is a community college success story. Having moved to the United States from Mexico City, she credits the writing and math labs at Northwest Vista College with helping her succeed academically and professionally. Her journey of dedication and hard-work includes earning her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Public Relations from Our Lady of the Lake University, while simultaneously working as a reporter and primetime co-anchor at San Antonio’s Univision 41. We recently asked Aranxta if she had any words to share with current and future Northwest Vista College students. Her response was a heart-felt, inspirational message of encouragement. “In order to achieve success, we need to put in the hard work. Use college as your platform to discover the things that you like, and the subjects that you feel passionate for. Understand that if you are attending school right now, you are a very fortunate human being that is taking the right steps to achieve intellectual and spiritual wealth – something that money can’t buy – but it’s up to you how much you really nourish your heart and mind.” Arantxa has received four Lone Star Emmy Awards. She has also been awarded the Laurel Award from the Columbia Journalism Review for her exclusive interview with President Obama. The Univision network offers Spanish language programming that includes news, sports and entertainment. Alumni Profile: Mother, Daughter Share Degree Patricia Hernandez, Mother, Class of 2011 (Right) Victoria Green, Daughter, Class of 2014 (Left) Mother and Daughter, Patricia Hernandez and Victoria Green, can now add earning their Associate Degrees in Teaching to the list of achievements they have accomplished together. Their story of success includes Patricia being the first in her family to go to college and Victoria being the first of three children to follow her lead. The pair now share the same goal of becoming teachers. Currently, Patricia is attending Texas A&M University – San Antonio (TAMU-SA) and is conducting her student teaching with the Northside Independent School District. She will be graduating this May with a Bachelor’s of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. Having completed her associate degree in fall of 2014, Victoria has plans to begin attending TAMU-SA next semester. Looking back, Patricia says making the choice to return to college at the age of 36 meant having to balance work, family and life. Daughter Victoria explains that her mother has led by example. “My mom inspires me,” she said. “She stays up all hours of the night doing her homework because she is committed.” Both Victoria and Patricia say that earning their associate degrees helped give them both a sense of pride and accomplishment. “The professor’s at NVC gave me the push I needed to pursue my dream in life to be a Special Education Teacher,” said Patricia. For Victoria, Northwest Vista provided countless memories both inside and outside the classroom. “I cannot tell you how much the student activities like stress relievers during finals week helped,” she said. “I’ll forever cherish the friendships and bonds that were created while I attended NVC.” Both Patricia and Victoria say their favorite Vista Touchstone is Integrity. “We both believe that Integrity is what you do when no one else is looking. It is staying true to your beliefs and sticking to your word. “ Graduation Volunteers Needed Graduation is on Monday, May 18, at 7:00 pm inside the Joe Freeman Coliseum. We are looking for volunteers to help us sell ‘Celebration Carnations’ at the ceremony. This will be the third consecutive year that the NVC Alumni and Friends organization has participated. Last year we raised nearly $500 and were able to award two scholarships this year. Help support future students! Contact [email protected] or call Manny Martinez at 210-486-4688 if you would like to help. NVC Awards Two Alumni and Friends Scholarships Photo: Jessica Garcia ( Ryan Rodriguez, not shown) Congratulations to Jessica Garcia, and Ryan Rodriguez ,who were each awarded the Northwest Vista College Alumni and Friends Scholarship for 2014-2015. Jessica is a Business Administration major with plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin upon graduating from NVC. “This scholarship will help me pay for books and tuition without tapping into my already tight budget for bills,” she said. Ryan is veteran of Iraq who retired from U.S. Army Infantry in 2009. He is currently working to complete his associate’s degree and pursue a career in information security. “This scholarship will help me finish my degree and prepare me to push forward,” he said. Ryan also shared that his daughter is planning to attend NVC next year. “I have worked hard to show my kids that if your daddy can go back to school after so many years, they can do anything, as long as they put in the effort.” This marks the first year Northwest Vista College has been able to award two Alumni and Friends Scholarships. Awarded funds were made possible by the generous support of the community and through fundraising events such as the selling of Carnations at the Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations to both Jessica and Ryan! Vista Alum Helps Students NVC Alum, Julien Mahler, has offered his guidance to help NVC students applying for Alamo Colleges Scholarships. He is visiting campus as a guest every Tuesday to offer advice on filling out the online application. Julien was the recipient of several scholarships while at Northwest Vista College. He has continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin . Julien is now focused on applying for medical school.He says while preparing and studying for entrance exams, he wanted to give back to fellow Wildcats by helping them find the support they need through scholarships. NVC thanks Julien for showing his Vista Spirit. S.T.A.G.E.S – Summer Arts Junior Master Classes in Music and Dance Aspiring musicians and dancers can have the opportunity to learn and perform music and dance in a college environment in new summer junior master classes presented by Northwest Vista College in collaboration with the Network for Young Artists. The program is called Student Training in the Arts for Growth in Education and Self-Confidence (S.T.A.G.E.S.) and enrollment for the two-week sessions is now open. Classes are designed for students with prior experience in music and dance. S.T.A.G.E.S. Junior Master Classes: • Open to students ages 8 to 17 • Dates: June 16 – 26 and July 14-24 • Beginner session: 9 a.m. to noon • Intermediate/Advanced: 1 to 4 p.m. • Recitals: June 26 and July 24 For additional information, email [email protected] or visit www.nya.us and click on STAGES Summer Camps. ¡Celebrate Vista! Twenty Year Anniversary This year marks 20 years that Northwest Vista College has been Creating Opportunities for Success in the San Antonio community. In recognition, the college will be celebrating all year long through special events and offers. Visit www.alamo.edu/nvc/celebrate20 to keep up with the latest ¡Celebrate Vista! activities. Vista Connects Looking for ways to re-connect with campus. Consider becoming a member of NVC community organizations or joining a volunteer opportunity. NVC Friends of the Arts Info: http://www.alamo.edu/nvc/academics/pca/fans/ NVC Business Council Info: email [email protected] Fine and Performing Arts Events at the Palmetto Center for the Arts Calendar: http://www.alamo.edu/nvc/academics/pca Scholarship Breakfast Celebrates Donors and Students (Sarah Senger, NVC Student and Scholarship Recipient) Scholarships make it possible for you to focus on your studies and not worry about how you are going to pay for tuition,” said Sarah Senger, an NVC scholarship recipient. Sarah addressed the 50 donors and fellow scholarship students during the Recognition Breakfast held on Feb. 11. She shared the impact and importance of scholarships in getting her pre-nursing degree, the positive experiences she has had at NVC and her plans for graduating and transferring to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio next fall. (Yvonne Masters, NVC Student and Scholarship Recipient) Yvonne Masters, a self-described “non-traditional student” at NVC talked about her pathway to NVC and how it important it is for her to complete her degree and set an example for her two children. She is majoring in Public Administration and plans to transfer to UTSA in the fall. One of her goals, she says, is to pay it forward and provide assistance to a future college student. “I want to not only benefit from my education but to also assist a student struggling to succeed,” she says. Fernando Peralta, chief financial officer for Propel Financial Services, the San Antonio office of Encore Capital Group, talked about his company’s involvement and investment in community college scholarships. The company recently launched a nationwide community college scholarship initiative and has invested $124,000 for scholarships in 20 U.S. communities including San Antonio. NVC is receiving $4,000 in scholarships for students for the 2015-2016 academic year and San Antonio College, Palo Alto College and St. Philip’s College will also receive $4,000 in scholarship funding. Other scholarship donors attending the breakfast included Joyce Ellis and Jeannette Arellano, Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation; Raul Hinojosa, LULAC Rey Feo Scholarship; Dave Sanchez and Estela Garcia-Perez, Hispanic Contractors de San Antonio Association; Rosantina Aranda, Frost Bank and NVC Business Council Chair; Dr. Homer Guevara; Robert Marbut; Sally First; and Robert and Ann Stevens. The Scholarship Recognition Breakfast is an annual event to recognize donors who support NVC scholarships and students. To date in this academic year, 205 NVC students have received more than $121,000 in scholarships. Connect with NVC Alumni and Friends Spring Edition will be out May 2015 – Tell us what you’ve been up to. linkedin.com facebook.com/NVCAlumni [email protected] 210-486-4688
