Lone Star College-Montgomery students Laura Crocket, John Woodward, and Brittany McVey (left to right) are on their way to earning their bachelors degrees' from Sam Houston State University, thanks to a joint scholarship partnership between SHSU and James Zipperer, professor of economics at LSC-Montgomery (far right). |
Crockett, Brittany McVey, and John Woodward, recent graduates of Lone Star College-Montgomery, know this first hand.
Crockett, McVey, and Woodward are all recipients of the Sam Houston State University’s Smith-Huston Scholarship; a $28,000 award provided each spring to LSC-Montgomery students who plan to major in business.
They will begin their studies at SHSU this fall with Crockett working toward a general business degree, McVey majoring in finance with a minor in mathematics, and Woodward majoring in business.
The Smith-Hutson Banking Scholarship is one of many unique partnerships between LSC-Montgomery and SHSU. Secured years ago with the help of James Zipperer, professor of economics at LSC-Montgomery, and Dr. Jim Bexley, the endowed chair of banking at SHSU, the scholarship has allowed over 12 LSC-Montgomery graduates to attend SHSU and pursue their lifelong career.
"This scholarship is representative of the close partnership we have with Sam Houston State University," said Dr. Austin Lane, president of LSC-Montgomery. "More of our students transfer to Sam Houston than any other university, and this provides a seamless pathway for our students to pursue careers in the growing banking/finance sector."
“This is a needs-based scholarship,” said Zipperer. “This scholarship was put in place by its donors to assure that students at LSC-Montgomery have the chance to attain their educational goal at a leading university. It’s a great opportunity and more students need to take advantage of it.”
Crockett, a single mother of two, knows how important this scholarship is to her financial needs.
“It is a blessing,” said Crockett. “It would have been difficult to continue my education without it because I am on a fixed income. It gives me that extra push because now I don’t have the concerns of how to pay the bills and pay off my college loans.”
McVey struggled in the beginning of her college career; unsure of the path she wanted to take. Now her goal is to become an actuary, spending her future assessing business risk through mathematical models.
“It was my accounting classes that made me realize I liked working with numbers,” McVey said. “As I did well in my classes, I got more confident and realized where my strengths are.”
Woodward has been in the oil and gas field for over 20 years, but always knew he wanted to finish his education. It took his brothers diagnosis of terminal cancer to make him re-evaluate where he was going and what was important to him.
With the guidance of Zipperer and LSC-Montgomery counselor Matthew Samford, Woodward was assured that he had the abilities to succeed; he just had to dig in and find them.
“I couldn’t be happier with my decision to go back to school,” Woodward said. “The scholarship put an exclamation point on that with a hammer. I have even been asked to be an ambassador for LSC-Montgomery, to represent the nontraditional students. I’m very excited!”
LSC-Montgomery is located at 3200 College Park Drive, one-half mile west of Interstate 45, between Conroe and The Woodlands. For more information about the college, call 936.273.7000, or visit www.LoneStar.edu/montgomery.
Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for more than 40 years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and credential completion. Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and one of the fastest-growing community college systems in the nation. Dr. Steve Head is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, seven centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.