PAC ASCENDER STUDENT ORTIZ RECEIVES

ORNELAS SCHOLARSHIP

Alexa Ortiz, Palo Alto College Ascender student, is the recipient of the $1,000 Mariana Ornelas Humanitarian Scholarship.  The scholarship supports Palo Alto College students who are studying in a discipline of the Humanities and who demonstrate a commitment to improving the community through humanitarian efforts including civic engagement, volunteerism and/or activism.

Ortiz plans to graduate with an Associate of Arts-Teaching 6-12 with an anticipated PAC graduation date of May 2021. She commented, “I’d like to first thank my professors who are always telling me about all of these opportunities. This scholarship would help me in paying for my classes, which would help me to keep furthering my career in Education 6-12. It is a big dream of mine to be a high school teacher, then a professor as I want to help people and impact their life positively as mine was by my teachers and professors.”

 

Mariana Ornelas began teaching Humanities and Sociology at Palo Alto College in 1997 where she taught the first course in Mexican American women’s studies. She remained at Palo Alto College for 20 years and was central to the development of the Mexican American Studies Program - the first to be implemented at the Alamo Colleges. Ornelas was an Ascender instructor paired with English 1301 in 2014. Ornelas was also a musician and a strong model and advocate of community service, serving on several boards and commissions, and was an activist for environmental and social justice issues in San Antonio and throughout Latin America. This scholarship aims to honor her commitment to the arts, social justice and humanitarianism.