Texas Border Business
By Clarissa Martinez
MISSION, Texas – When Anna Ochoa, 43, found her way back to South Texas College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Medical and Health Services Management, she discovered a unique scholarship program that she says has been a game-changer for her.
STC in partnership with the Mission Economic Development Authority (MEDA) invites permanent residents of the city of Mission who are interested in furthering their education to apply for the MEDA scholarship.
“This is the only scholarship I was able to receive, and it’s nice because the requirements aren’t very strict, so it felt accessible,” Ochoa said. “I’ve never seen any other city do something like this and I think it’s awesome of Mission to provide these funds directly through the college.”
For the past 10 years, STC and the city of Mission have worked to increase a student’s chances of matriculating and ultimately ensure that they have greater success in college by alleviating some of the financial burden off students and families with the scholarship.
The scholarship provides Mission residents with opportunities to gain the skillsets needed to take the next steps in their careers, said Teclo Garcia, chief executive officer of Mission EDC. And, it allows flexibility to choose from a variety of certificates and degrees that meet applicants at whatever stage they are at in their educational journey, he said.
“The goal is to get Mission ahead in training and education,” Garcia said. “We have some of the hardest-working talent in Texas, and this scholarship helps residents elevate their skills to be able to compete for better-paying jobs, learn new trades, or even finish a degree they may have already started.”
STC coordinator of Scholarships Judy Martinez said to date, the MEDA scholarship fund has yielded a high success rate with a MEDA Scholar graduation rate of nearly 80%.
“Ten years of collaboration between the Mission EDC and South Texas College is a momentous milestone,” Martinez said. “It represents 10 years of working together to foster economic prosperity for the city of Mission by increasing the educational attainment of its residents and developing a skilled workforce to meet the region’s growing demand.”
The STC Board of Trustees approved and authorized the acceptance of the MEDA Scholarship on Aug. 29, 2012, which established a trust of $3 million with funds to be used to establish and offer scholarships.
The scholarship was first awarded in the fall of 2013, and since then more than $1.3 million has been awarded to more than 700 STC students from Mission.
“The lifetime of this scholarship, thus far, shows a commitment to education and training from our city and an effort to excel among other communities,” Garcia said. “With the support of our mayor, city council and elected officials, Mission EDC and STC will continue to work together to provide this resource to Mission residents.”
Awards are determined by semester enrollment, and the scholarship is renewable if students meet continued eligibility requirements. If eligible, scholarship recipients can receive up to $3,200 to help pay for their education at STC.
“The criteria is not too burdensome, and the application takes less than 15 minutes to complete,” Martinez said. “With just one application, students are guaranteed support for up to four full-time semesters or up to eight part-time semesters as long as they continue to meet the requirements.”
To be eligible, students must be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, must be a permanent resident of the city of Mission, have earned six credit hours at STC with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and must enroll in at least six credit hours at the college.
“The MEDA scholarship is significant to our students in different ways -whether it is minimizing potential student debt, filling the gap for expenses that other financial aid may not cover, or freeing up time to focus on their program of study,” Martinez said. “More importantly, this scholarship represents support from their community. MEDA scholars are highly motivated by a feeling that their community believes in them enough to invest in their education.”
For Ochoa, the scholarship provided a major boost in her return to school and she’s encouraging her children to pursue it, as well.
“My oldest son doesn’t qualify just yet because he just started at STC, but I’m encouraging him to apply,” Ochoa said. “My youngest child is an STC dual enrollment student, so I know he’ll get this information from his counselor and be able to benefit from MEDA if we continue to live here. And, I think MEDA is great for non-traditional students who don’t qualify for financial aid. There’s a lot of people who fall through the cracks because they don’t qualify for anything, so I think it’s wonderful that STC gives us those opportunities to be able to continue our education.”
The scholarship application and additional information is available at https://studentservices.southtexascollege.edu/finaid/scholarships/meda.html
Application deadline for the fall 2023 semester is Monday, July 31. Students may also call 956-72-8375 for more information.
