Bound For Success Graduation Ceremony!

For the past year I have been working with a group of students in a college preparedness program at work.  I have had the pleasure of working with 14 great high school seniors throughout the 2009-2010 school year.  During the summer they had a 6 week internship at various organizations in Beaumont where they gained some real life work experience and were required to attend weekly workshops to help prepare them for their last year in high school and begin college.  In the fall we traveled to many different colleges- U of H, Rice Univ, Prairie View A&M, Texas A&M, Baylor University, SMU, and UT Arlington.  On one of those trips it was a 2 day adventure where they stayed at a hotel in Dallas which I know for some of these students they haven't had the opportunity stay at a really nice hotel and to be able to pick whatever they wanted to eat and not have to worry about the price of food!  I really enjoyed the trips with my kiddos!

For the spring I was able to help the students apply for FAFSA and other scholarships and financial aid forms.  One of my students applied for a state-wide scholarships- TX NAHRO- which is through housing and he ended up winning a $1,000 scholarship to help pay for college.  What was even more exciting was to be able to go to the TX NAHRO conference in March and see my student receive his scholarship in person...... in South Padre Island. Below are some pictures of my time in South Padre-- a few hours at the beach (Portuguese Man of War) and the lunch/dinner awards ceremonies.

The back door of the hotel, right off the back dock area.

Really cool Man O War Jellyfish

Say cheese!

My awesome boss and friend Allison!

My wonderful kiddo and his mom!

Congrats on the scholarship Devin!

Picture with Devin and his mom!

We had a really good time in South Padre even though it was a really short trip, right around 48 hours.

The home stretch during the spring time was getting kiddos to apply for colleges and receiving acceptance letters.  They applied to many different colleges throughout the state of Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, and even towards the east coast and mid-west.  In the end all 14 of my students were accepted to a college!  To end the year with a bang we had a Graduation Ceremony for sticking with the program the entire year, graduating from high school, and getting into college.  During the ceremony I individually recognized each student for their accomplishments during their high school years and where they would be going to attend school after high school.

Originally when the students joined the program they were told that if they made it through the entire program they would receive a $2,000 scholarship to help them pay for school.  Well it just so happens that we were able to provide a little more than that..... we were able to award each student $3,500 in scholarships!  When I announced this information at the awards the kids and parents were so happy it was as the heavens had opened singing praises!  It was quite an evening and I can honestly say this one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life.  After the bulk of the ceremony all my kiddos lined up in the back of the room and then proceeded to the front of the room and gave a huge speech as to what I mean to them, each handing me a rose and giving me a huge once they finished speaking. In addition I received a nice plaque for all the hard work I had done with the program.  This was the most emotional part of the night for me, I tried to keep it together but when one of the guests (who was a teacher of one of the students) came up and started singing to me "You are the wind beneath their wings" I just completely lost it!!! Anyway, it was such a great evening and below are some pictures that captured the evening.

View of the Ballroom

The Buffet Line!

City Councilman Mr. Jamie Davis as guest speaker.

Dei Dei receiving her ceritifcate

Me honoring the graduates

Kayla receiving awards

Keshlea giving me my award :)

Kids giving their speeches!

Announcing the increase in scholarship money, woo hoo!

Our Executive Director, Robert Reyna

The class clowns :)

Troy receiving awards

Me and my kids. I could not be more prouder of them! Good luck to you all and I will miss you dearly!

Audiology Crawfish Boil

David's Audiology Department had a end of the year bash in April out at a park in Nederland.  We brought our grill and were masters at the hamburgers! We had a lot of fun but the best part about it was that David and I had crawfish for the very first time! Man talk about some zesty spices and with the potatoes and corn, it really topped off the meal!!  The crawfish was really good- I thought it tasted a lot like a combination of shrimp and lobster not to mention it takes a lot of WORK for very little meat.  But hey it was a really great cultural experience in the Southeast Texas/Louisiana area.

 During the evening they gave away small awards that were voted on by all the students and David received the "Best Audiology Clinician" in his class!  Way to go honey!! I tell David all the time that he works so hard at his clinic sites and yet feels as though he hasn't learned nearly enough.  Needless to say he is learning and growing a lot not only has a audiologist but also as business person especially since he eventually wants to own his own practice one day.

Overall we had  a really great time and I enjoyed getting to know David's classmates and professors. We cannot wait until the end of the year bash for next year!!!