It was a whirlwind tour of several high school campuses, as Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan surprised seniors with the Superintendent Scholars Awards.
This was the third year of the awards, which were underwritten by Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and the Houston ISD Foundation. Handpicked by Lathan, the 11 students were selected from HISD seniors nominated by their principals or leadership teams.
The scholarship benefits students who face hardships and challenges that may make higher education or career and vocational training difficult to attain. Rather than focusing solely on academic records, school administrators selected recipients based primarily on the qualities they have demonstrated and obstacles they have overcome that make them likely to succeed if given a chance.
The selected students will each receive $2,500 scholarships.
The students selected to receive the Superintendent Scholars Awards are:
- Skye Williams, Heights High School
- Leslee Cruz, Wisdom High School
- Laiba Asif, Jane Long Academy
- Marie Daniela Germain, Sharpstown International School
- Yasmin Roland, Westbury High School
- Auria Al-Amin Vick, Jones Futures Academy
- Dora Ysabelle Del Villar, Chavez High School
- Natalia Alejandra Davis, Furr High School
- Lizbeth Contreras Tovar, Wheatley High School
- Ashley Quintero, East Early College High School
- Chiagozie Uwalaka, Houston Academy for International Studies
More students will be surprised with awards on Thursday, May 27.