Haines City nonprofit helping Hispanic students with scholarships – Bay News 9
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HAINES CITY, Fla. — This year’s theme for Hispanic Heritage Month is “Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future."
In Haines City, one organization is doing that by providing scholarships to generate funds. It is hosting the second annual Hispanic Festival Celebration on Oct. 11.
Placing pen to paper, Alondra Ortiz-Colon is the first person in her family to pursue a degree in nursing.
She is currently an undergrad at Polk State College.
“It means stability, and it means that you have a lot more opportunities in life,” she said.
Ortiz-Colon was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Polk County when she was 9 years old. Her mom went to college and served as her role model to follow in her footsteps.
“A lot of our parents don’t have education, and I feel like our parents really want us to be the best," she said.
Getting a higher education can be particularly difficult financially, and that’s where the Hispanic Empowerment Foundation stepped in for her.
Ortiz-Colon was one of 11 students to receive a scholarship through the foundation.
Elyci Gonzalez is a representative for the foundation.
"We come in and make sure that they don’t stay back and they can continue moving forward," she said.
The foundation says the scholarship money helps fill in those gaps for students, whether it’s paying for classes or learning materials.
The scholarship funds are collected through the Hispanic Festival Celebration. Haines City Commissioner Omar Arroyo said the festival is important for the community.
“The purpose is to empower the Hispanic community, to show unity," he said..
For Ortiz-Colon, the scholarship has put her on a path toward earning her Associate of Arts early next year.
She said this will make her family proud and help her reach her goals in life.
“You have to put in the work in order for your career and your future to go the way you would like it," he said.
In this case, she said her hard work and earning the scholarship will pay off with a degree.
The scholarships are awarded to students who are currently enrolled at Ridge Technical College, Travis Technical College and Polk State College. The recipients will be announced at the nonprofit’s gala in April.
