Marcy Wilson says Hendrick Scholarship winners come from adversity but believe that life has promise for them. #plano pic.twitter.com/rCoQ27queT
— Eva-Marie Ayala (@EvaMarieAyala) October 23, 2014
Collin College freshman Ryan Phillips wants to be a mechanical engineer but his struggles with dyslexia often means he needs extra help to get through classes.
And then there is Kyle Edwards, who had to spend the second half of his second year studying from home because of medical complications from a broken tailbone.
The two Plano East Senior High School graduates both found not only financial aid but tutoring and mentoring support through the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation. The local group, named after the former schools superintendent H. Wyane Hendrick, provides financial scholarships to disadvantaged as well as workshops aimed at helping the students be successful in college.
“I was working two jobs to save money for college, but I knew I couldn’t work two jobs and go to school full time,” Edwards said. “This scholarship has meant only need to work one job and can maintain my studies.”
Phillips said it can be difficult and expensive to find a tutor in college. But the foundation’s support helps him get the support he needs for classes.
The two spoke at the Rotary Club of Plano’s lunch on today, thanking the group for its support of the foundation. The Rotary will hold its annual golf tournament in support of the foundation on Oct. 30.