3 minute read
Scholarships are Making a Difference
By Alex Weakley
Each year the ENMU Foundation awards scholarships to deserving students. Debra Villanueva is just one of the many students receiving a scholarship for the 2011-2012 year. She is currently one of the recipients for the TRIO Scholarship and the Eloy and Savina Salcido Torrez Scholarship.
A Portales native, Debra returned to her roots after being away from her family for twenty-five years. After losing her mother to cancer, she realized that being close to her family was what she wanted most.
Majoring in Business and Information Systems, Debra is hoping to go back to her previous job working in higher education. “Being at Eastern has totally benefited me; it has allowed me not to have to worry about my finances. I’m taking 17 credit hours and another 10 credit hours this summer. There is no way I could have done this without scholarships, plus the scholarships challenge you to maintain your GPA in order to even apply,” Debra explained. She said it would be different if she hadn’t received the scholarships because she’d have to get a job off campus to pay bills and wouldn’t be able to put 95 percent of her time into classes like she does now.
Currently, Debra works for the College Success Program and is a member of TRIO which is a federally funded outreach program to help students with disadvantages continues to grow and prosper in their education.
She said that her favorite professor would have to be her Ceramics professor, Diane Cole. She struggles with the class, but is constantly being reminded to take her professor’s advice about creativity. Debra said the students have a saying, “I guess that’s why you are the teacher and I’m the student. You don’t have to be good at something to learn.”
“The fact that I’m 46 years old and entering my sophomore year makes me unique,” said Debra as she grinned. She said, “I always wanted to finish school and since my three kids are in college, I decided to go back. I was intimidated at first but who isn’t when they first come to college? ENMU is ideal for non-traditional students because of the small class sizes.”
Another life challenge that has shaped Debra happened a year ago when she suffered a minor stroke at work because of a hole in her heart. She said that after going through something like that you learn to appreciate the small things in life as well as what you ultimately want from it. Debra especially enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Debra said her life would not have been the same if not for ENMU. “I’m excited to see where I’m going to be in May 2014 and if I’m going to be doing the things I wanted or even be where I thought I would be.”
Alumni interested in giving back to help current and future students, please donate online at www.enmu.edu/foundation.
