PHILANTHROPY

The winners from the Dental Hygiene Program are:

            Tasha Romagus who resides with her husband, a firefighter and instructor, in Splendora. She and her husband, a firefighter instructor, raise funds to help subsidize training costs for firefighters. Tasha has eighteen-years’ experience working in the dental field and will graduate in May. She plans to continue her education and possibly teach dental hygiene in the future.

Tiffany Hypes, who is a U.S. Army Veteran, a wife and mother of three, will graduate with her degree in Dental Hygiene also in May. Tiffany is simultaneously enrolled at Texas Women’s University where she will also earn her bachelor’s degree this May.

 

The winners from the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program are:

  Sarah Davis, who is from Kingwood, will receive her associate degree in the summer of 2023. Sarah, in addition to being a Certified Personal Trainer is also the night concierge at an area retirement center.

Erin Sterner received her Associates of Science Degree, Magna Cum Laude in 2021, but observing the rehabilitation therapists who assisted her father after triple bypass, sent her back to school. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program where she hopes to help patients regain their independence through therapy.

 

The Respiratory Care Program winners are:

            Kimberly Garcia is a wife and mother who wants her son to see the importance of setting goals and achieving them in life. Kimberly would like to continue her education after graduation in May. She currently also works, while a fulltime student, at HCA Northwest Houston.

Marisela Garcia received her Associate Degree of Science from Houston Community College. She credits the three years she spent as a Senior Director of Training at Chick-Fil-A where she learned leadership and quality service. As a second semester student in the Respiratory Care Program, she and another student assisted a patient in distress at a local hospital where she was on clinical rotation. She and the other student received the “Great Catch Award” for responding to a potentially life-threatening situation. Marisela will graduate in May.

Winny Sarani is a wife and mother who was born and raised in Kenya, where she was a teacher. She has extensive experience working in our area healthcare facilities as a nursing assistant, and patient care assistant. She chose respiratory care because of her passion to help people with health conditions of all ages. She will graduate December 2023.

Brittani Wyse describes herself as a mother, a leader, an overcomer. The birth of her daughter gave her the courage to apply to Lone Star College-Kingwood. While caring for three foster children, she had the opportunity to meet a respiratory therapist at a pediatric intensive care unit who shared his love of the field. She knew it was the career she wanted. Brittani will graduate in December 2023.

 

Scholarship winners in the Nursing Program:

            Suzanne Alonzo graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and became Registered Behavior Therapist, but her heart was telling her medicine was where she belonged. She will graduate with her nursing degree in December. She feels her calling is working with children and she currently is a Patient Care Assistant at Texas Children’s Hospital, when she is not in class. Suzanne summed up the feelings of students in these healthcare programs, “I want to be a haven of hope for those who need help in their most vulnerable time.”

LaShonda McGary holds a master’s degree from the University of Houston in secondary education and when she is not in class at Lone Star College-Kingwood, she is teaching biology in Humble ISD. She is also a wife and mother. A personal medical crisis in 2020 reminded her that life is short and her heart was calling her to be a nurse. She will graduate in December 2023.

Jessica Niemiec graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. in English from Sam Houston State University this year. Volunteer work with St. Jude’s and the Ronald McDonald House ignited her passion for nursing. Her long-term goal is to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She will graduate from the nursing program in December of 2023.

Rebecca Richard is a wife and a mother, and holds a B.S. in Healthcare Administration from the University of Houston. In addition to fulltime classes at Lone Star, she works as a nurse-extern in labor and delivery at HCA Kingwood Hospital. She has extensive experience in hospitals since 2001 including Texas Children’s. She will receive her nursing degree from Lone Star College-Kingwood this December.

Brittney Stuckey is a wife and a mother who through her family’s tragic loss of her nephew, had a chance to observe the care, professionality and compassion the nursing staff provided for her family. “I am inspired to be the nurse that is remembered for her empathy, compassion and love for this field.” Brittney will graduate in December of 2023.

Tara Trevino is a wife and mom, and while attending school, works fulltime as a medical coder in a pediatrician’s office, where she has worked for fifteen years. She will graduate with her nursing degree in December 2022 and she plans to enroll in a BSN program in the fall. She loves the ICU, and Labor and Delivery.