San Elizario High School senior awarded scholarship to help cover college expenses
El Paso, TX – The Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) awarded its 2022 Sylvia Hopp San Elizario College Scholarship to graduating senior Iliana Vigil at this year’s San Elizario Rose Ceremony.
Vigil is the fifth recipient of this prestigious scholarship. In addition to earning college credit through Advanced Placement and dual-credit coursework, she participated in numerous community service, extracurricular, and athletic activities while in high school. This fall, she will be attending the University of Texas at Austin and will major in biochemistry with hopes of attending medical school to become an anesthesiologist.
“Iliana’s impressive academic record and involvement in many school and community activities is a testament to her hard work and dedication. We are proud to announce her as this year’s scholarship recipient,” said former San Elizario ISD Superintendent Sylvia Hopp. “Through CREEED’s commitment to the San Elizario community, Iliana and students like her are able to make their dreams of earning a college degree a reality. We wish her the very best at UT Austin and look forward to her many accomplishments.”
The Sylvia Hopp Scholarship Fund was established in 2017 to honor former San Elizario ISD superintendent Sylvia Hopp’s contributions to improving educational attainment in the region. The Fund will award a total of $20,000 in scholarships to help graduating seniors from San Elizario High School with a $2,500 scholarship to cover tuition and other costs associated with attending and completing college.
“Along with the many programs and initiatives that CREEED is spearheading in the El Paso region, the Sylvia Hopp Scholarship aims to provide pathways for students in our region to not only enroll in college, but complete a college degree,” said Eddie Rodriguez, CREEED’s Executive Director. “The future of our region’s economy depends on how well we improve postsecondary completion, especially in the growing STEM and health science fields. Iliana represents the next generation of healthcare professionals, and we are honored to support her in her journey toward graduating from the University of Texas at Austin.”
In addition to supporting high-performing El Paso students pursuing and obtaining a college degree, CREEED also supports public school district initiatives that prepare all students to be college- and career-ready by the time they graduate high school, including the expansion of dual credit courses, STEM programming, and teacher development programs.
More information about the Sylvia Hopp San Elizario College Scholarship and CREEED’s efforts to raise educational attainment in the El Paso region can be found at www.creeed.org.
For media inquiries, please contact Laura Rodriguez at (915) 209-2230 or media@creeed.org.
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About CREEED:
CREEED is a not-for-profit organization focused on increasing the number of high-performing seats in El Paso’s public education system. This is accomplished by investing in initiatives that are creating measurable outcomes to close the achievement gap for El Paso students. CREEED supports organizations, initiatives, and policies that prepare students to succeed in college and in our future workforce. CREEED’s efforts are focused on increasing the quality of education that students receive in El Paso. Our efforts fall into three categories: Increasing Student Attainment; Increasing Teacher Talent & Leadership Development; and Increasing Parent and Community Engagement.