South Plains College hosted the Silver Celebration for the 25th Annual Scholarship Gala Saturday.
Attendees enjoyed a multicourse meal, musical entertainment from students and SPC alumnus Heath Wright and his band Ricochet. A silent and live auction was also held designed to raise funds for the scholarships.
According to Samantha Goldie in a KCBD broadcast, every dollar raised will go back to the students. As of Feb. 1, over $100,000 was raised in ticket sales with about 8,000 students receiving scholarships.
SPC alumna Irma Guerra attended Levelland High School and graduated from SPC in 1970. 12 of her 17 siblings also graduated from SPC. Guerra explained that at least eight of her siblings that attended also received scholarships.
Guerra received the Las Fidelis Study Club Scholarship. The scholarship included tuition, books and fees.
“It gave me the way to go to South Plains,” Guerra said. “Had it not been for those offers I don’t know what I would have done.”
W.L. Walker, administrative dean of SPC, approached Guerra with a job offer as a student secretary. She was then offered the Las Fidelis scholarship.
The Las Fidelis scholarship is awarded to female graduates of Levelland High School. Selection is based on academic merit, personal character and leadership. According to the SPC website, this scholarship has been aiding women to attend SPC for more than 55 years.
According to the SPC 1970 yearbook, Los Tejanos was a newly formed club on campus in 1970. The club’s purpose was to increase educational improvement among Mexican Americans of the South Plains area and to promote Mexican American student participation in college life.
“Los Tejanos started the campus preview for South Plains College,” Guerra said. “Because we wanted to see more Hispanics go to South Plains College.”
Guerra explained there was about 30 Hispanic students attending SPC at the time.
“This is the college that I came to. It was small. It was personable and they just didn’t let students fail,” Guerra said. “They made us feel like we could do anything if we just decided to do it.”