CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Seniors at West Oso High School got some much appreciated help to continue their education.
On Monday, 13 students were each given a $1,000 scholarship to help them through college.
It's called the Contreras DeLeon Scholarship, a fund started to honor Rosa Contreras DeLeon and Regino DeLeon for their love and dedication to family and the community.
As immigrants and migrant workers, the school tells KRIS 6 News Rosa and Regino had limited opportunities growing up, but that did not stop the DeLeons from instilling strong values in their own children.
"We grew up in West Oso," said Ricardo DeLeon, the son of Rosa Contreras DeLeon and Regino DeLeon. "There's six children. All of us graduated from West Oso and we learned from our parents that with success, comes responsibility. And so looking at what lead to our success, we thought giving back to the community was the absolute right thing to do."
The Contreras DeLeon family credits West Oso ISD with supporting them in their endeavors to provide their children with a solid education and strong values. The goal of the scholarship is to keep their parents' memory alive by helping students continue their education. The students chosen for this scholarship exemplified integrity, community service and a dedication to their studies.
Over the course of five years, West Oso ISD graduates will be eligible to receive $100,000. These funds will be distributed in increments of $20,000 per year.
The students told KRIS 6 News they're just thankful for any help they can get.
"I'm going to University of Houston to study pre-pharmacy," said senior Vernisha Dixon. "I'm going to use this money for all of my books or anything I need. I'm truly thankful."
"It will really help me with tuition and all the other fees that I'll be needing," said senior Kennedi Silmon, who's planning to attend Texas A&M University - Kingsville to continue track and study animal science. "This is a really helpful scholarship and I'm very thankful for this family to be giving this scholarship."
Two other students were also honored at Monday's luncheon and were presented with $3,000 scholarships.
