Texarkana College receives $25,000 to endow scholarship for Hispanic students

From left: Grace Ellis, Della Ellis, Dr. Theresa McDonald and Dr. Jason Smith. (Staff photo by Andrew Bell)
From left: Grace Ellis, Della Ellis, Dr. Theresa McDonald and Dr. Jason Smith. (Staff photo by Andrew Bell)

TEXARKANA, Texas -- Dr. Theresa McDonald, along with several family members, announced a new Texarkana College endowed scholarship to benefit Hispanic students at a check presentation today.

Dr. McDonald is a Computer Science faculty member at Texarkana College and funded the endowed scholarship with a $25,000 donation. She has supported Hispanic students through scholarships for many years but wanted to provide more permanent funding for the future.

"I'm just so proud that I can give back to my community, and that someone can benefit from it," McDonald said Thursday. "Texarkana College has been a part of my life since I began as a student here in 1983. We have worked hard to grow our Hispanic population at Texarkana College, and I hope the availability of this scholarship will continue to help this student group."

Dr. McDonald has worked in various positions at Texarkana College since 1983. She started as a student worker in the business office and continued as an employee while she completed her associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.

Now, as a faculty member, McDonald also serves as the sponsor for TC's chapter of Phi Beta Lambda, a national organization for students that promotes business leadership and technology skills, and she sponsors TC's Cultural Awareness Student Association. During her years in higher education, she has served students in the classroom and also in personal enrichment, with a focus on growing TC's Hispanic student population.

"Dr. McDonald has been here for a long time," President Dr. Jason Smith said. "She went to school here. She also came back in the early '80s as a student worker, before starting to work for us full-time. To come back and continue to give back with an endowed scholarship to our Hispanic students that will be there forever, it's such a commitment."

(For additional information, or to donate to the scholarship fund, please contact Katie Andrus at 903-823-3125 or [email protected].)

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