Scholarship Luncheon Celebrates and Inspires

Stephan Valentine, Belinda Sherman, Mary Thornley, Christian Mahon, Grant Delgado

The 2018 Scholarship Luncheon was held in the spring to celebrate and connect scholarship donors and recipients. The student panelists, Grant Delgado, Christian Mahon, Belinda Sherman, and Stephen Valentine answered questions posed to them by Dr. Mary Thornley, TTC President, and they shared their personal stories of humble beginnings and challenges along the way.

The four students came from different backgrounds and are on different career paths but what they had in common was much greater than any differences: the desire to achieve success. All four of them spoke about the importance of having a cheerleader on their side and how receiving a scholarship gave them a reason to believe in themselves.

Belinda Sherman

Belinda Sherman was abused as a child and told she would never amount to anything.

She said, “After having to endure all that, I had to find my own way in life. Getting a scholarship meant that someone finally I wasn’t alone.”

Christian Mahon bounced around in foster care for several years and when he was finally adopted at 17 years old, finally felt that he had a support system and could move closer to his goals. When he received his scholarship, it meant his father, who is a truck driver, would be able to not work extra hours on the road.

Christian Mahon

Christian said, “So because of the scholarship, my siblings and I are essentially able to have a father figure.”

The program also included remarks by Bill Craver, TTC Foundation Trustee, past chair and a member of the Scholarship Committee. Bill shared his experience reading scholarship essays and how that helped him understand the diversity and challenges of students and their common pursuit of happiness.

Bill Craver

He said that reading those essays had a profound effect on him. “It made me fall in love with Trident Technical College and the Foundation and it made me want to do anything I could to help students pursue happiness.”

Guests of the luncheon came away with an appreciation for the hard work put forth by TTC students and inspired by the generosity of the scholarship donors in helping students achieve their goals. Next year’s luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

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