Foundation's advising program helps Westminster High grad succeed in college

Karla Martinez is a first-generation college student, but she's following in her brother's footsteps as she starts at Metropolitan State University of Denver.  

Martinez, 20, graduated from Westminster High School in 2018 and attended Community College of Denver for two years before transferring to Metro State. She is majoring in business management with an eye toward working in the fashion industry.  

"I always had an interest in fashion," Martinez said in August. "I love the business aspect of fashion." She works as an assistant manager at Express, a trendy apparel store that has seven locations in Colorado, as well as three outlet stores.  

She would like to work as a high-end professional stylist and, perhaps, create her own fashion brand, she said.  

When she graduated high school, Martinez received a Peierls Foundation scholarship from the Westminster Public Schools Foundation. Her 22-year-old brother, Luis Alan Martinez, also received a Peierls Foundation scholarship when he graduated from Westy, and he attends Metro State as well.  

WPSF typically awards five Peierls scholarships a year. Each scholarship includes $2,500 a year for four years but, more importantly, a mentor to help the recipients succeed in college.  

As she prepared to leave CCD, Martinez's mentor took her for coffee and a discussion about her goals.  

"It was very in-depth," Martinez said. "That conversation helped me so much with what I wanted to do. 

"She's the reason I chose to major in business management."  

Although English is her second language, Martinez took three Advanced Placement classes — environmental science, literature and history —while she attended Westy. Those AP classes, through which she earned some college credits, prepared her for college because the workload is higher than for most high school classes.  

"Westy prepared me for college the best way," she said. She hopes that her story will encourage other students to believe in themselves and work toward going to college.  

"Don't take yourself for granted."  

The Westminster Public Schools Foundation offers scholarships to Westminster High School students who plan to enter college in the fall after graduation. For more information, visit the Scholarships page. https://www.fundwps.org/scholarships/scholarship-application-and-info.html>

 

 

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WPSF scholarship graduates on path to becoming positive contributing members

Paul Tran graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales in December 2019 and will be completing his Master's of Business Administration in Fall 2020! He is doing all this in just 4.5 years! Paul was involved in the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement (VEYM) while at Johnson & Wales University and thoroughly enjoyed his Culinary Arts Labs. Congratulations Paul!

 

 

 

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Mahelet De Anda is getting an Associates of Science from Front Range Community College spring 2020! She will be transferring to Colorado State University this fall to earn a Bachelors Degree in Neuroscience and minor in Psychology. While at FRCC, she was involved in TRIO SSS and National Society of Leadership and Success. She is also a LSAMP scholar -- a group of dynamic students pursuing STEM pathways involved in research, peer learning, mentoring, and networking.
"I've learned so many things in college so far but most importantly, I learned that I am capable of pursuing a higher education which was the main goal."
Congratulations Mahelet! We are looking forward to continuing on this journey with you.

 

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Marlenne Montanez graduated from the University of Colorado - Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences & Psychology in the spring of 2020. While at CU Boulder, she was involved in the McNairs Scholars Program, Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program, Pre-Collegiate Development Programs, Student Health Advisory Board at Wardenburg, Alternative Breaks, and member of the Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. We're so proud to note that Marlenne is graduating with a degree designation magna cum laude after successfully defending an honors thesis! As you can imagine, this is an achievement Marlenne is very proud of. Marlenne will be attending Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. beginning this fall to work towards earning a Doctor of Audiology Degree (Au.D).

Congratulations Marlenne! We are so looking forward to seeing what you do in the future.

Shelly Lor received the Leadership scholarship from the WPS Foundation in 2016 and graduates from the prestigious Regis University with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing spring 2020! While at Regis, she was heavily involved in things like the North Suburban Medical Center as a Nursing Hostess and the Regis Student Nursing Association. One of the things that Shelly's time at Regis will most stick with her is the way she felt when providing care. "It gets me excited that as a nurse, I'll have the ability to provide care, compassion, and resiliency for and with my patients and colleagues".

Something tells me Shelly will be a fantastic nurse! Congratulations Shelly!

Thanh Tu Nguyen is a Westy alum that is graduating from Colorado State University - Fort Collins this May 2020. She is receiving a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics Education AND Bachelors of Arts in Sociology...at the same time...in four years! She is proud of her involvement with CSU's Alternative Breaks program which is  'an immersion experience into different cultural, environmental and socioeconomic communities across the nation'. This program allowed her the opportunity to serve different communities both domestically and internationally. She was also heavily involved in SEED Ministry.

Thanh Tu was offered [and accepted] a teaching position at Mountain Range High School in Westminster Adams 12 Five Star Schools District.

Impact of COVID-19 on WPS scholars in college

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