Temple College Foundation donors and student scholarship awardees enjoyed meeting each other during the annual scholarship reception Wednesday, Aug. 23 (Steve Lemmons, Temple College)
Temple College awards 327 scholarships totaling more than $304,000 to 318 students; Lifelong Leopard Awards presented
The Temple College Foundation hosted the 2023 Scholarship Reception Wednesday to honor 318 students who received a total of 327 scholarships this year and to recognize the many donors who provided the funding.
The Foundation, which celebrated the awarding of more than $304,000 in scholarships, also presented Lifelong Leopard Awards to the W.D. Kelley Foundation, Dr. Edna Bridges, faculty member Tracey Cooper and alumna Ebony Gebrehawariat. The Lifelong Leopard Award is given to honor those who invest in Temple College and its students.
“Temple College is blessed by so many incredible people and organizations who choose to invest in the lives of students. This annual reception is one way we can say thank you to them, and it’s a way to meet with and celebrate the hundreds of students who are taking the next steps in their educational and career journeys,” said Dr. Evelyn Waiwaiole, Vice President of Resource Development and External Relations.
“The Lifelong Leopard Award honorees are true ambassadors of Temple College. They’ve invested their time and their finances to change the lives of students. We sincerely thank the W.D. Kelley Foundation, Dr. Edna Bridges, Tracey Cooper and Ebony Gebrehawariat for their support of Temple College,” said Tyler Jermstad, President of the Temple College Foundation Board.
Lifelong Leopard Award Honorees
The mission of the W.D. Kelley Foundation, based in Georgetown, is to engage and partner with innovative leaders who boldly impact education and human services in Williamson County. Since 1998, the Foundation has provided grants in excess of $6.5 million. Temple College has been the recipient of generous grants from the W.D. Kelley Foundation, which have funded science labs in Hutto, cyber programs in Hutto as well as generous scholarship dollars. Dr. Edna Bridges
Edna Bridges established the Dr. Edna Bridges Endowed Scholarship this past year. Dr. Bridges was one of nine children born and raised in Tennessee Valley, a community which she says “now resides at the bottom of Lake Belton.” Dr. Bridges attended school through the eighth grade. Years later, she came to Temple College to explore the possibility of college – without a high school diploma. She was allowed to take two classes with the condition that if she made A grades in those classes, she could stay. She made her A grades and went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and her doctorate in education. This year, she established an endowment to help remove financial barriers for students.
Tracey Cooper began at Temple College as an adjunct faculty member in 2014. Since then, she was promoted first to Director of the ADN Program, then Executive Director of Nursing, and she is now the Dean of Health Professions, Nursing and Polysomnography. Cooper has been educating nurses for 25 years and is dedicated to advancing the profession. She is currently a certified nurse educator for the National League for Nursing. Cooper and her family members Rhea, Trent and Susanne, started the Sharon D. Long Nursing Scholarship to honor their mother and support students.
Ebony Gebrehawariat is a recent graduate of Temple College’s ADN program. She currently serves on the Temple College Alumni and Friends Advisory Board, is a full-time registered nurse at Baylor Scott & White Health and is seeking her bachelor’s degree in nursing. During her time as a Temple College student, Gebrehawariat served as president of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Under her leadership, the Lambda Theta chapter maintained its Five-Star Chapter status, became a Top Texas Chapter and achieved recognition as a Top 100 Chapter in the Society, along with numerous other recognitions. Gebrehawariat is dedicated to Temple College and has devoted much of her time volunteering for the Foundation.
Tracey Cooper, right, Temple College's dean of health professions for nursing and polysomnography, and her mother, Sharon Long (Steve Lemmons, Temple College)
ABOUT THE TEMPLE COLLEGE FOUNDATION
The Temple College Foundation supports Temple College by providing a means of receiving and administering gifts on behalf of the College. These gifts can be used to support student scholarships, programming, emergency aid, capital improvements and more. The goal is to make sure that financial need never gets in the way of students achieving their academic dreams.
ABOUT TEMPLE COLLEGE
Temple College is “Your Community’s College,” a dynamic and growing community college that equips thousands of Central Texas students with the knowledge and skills for 21st-century success. Temple College, which has campuses in Temple, Hutto and Taylor, offers more than 75 degree and certificate programs to students who seek to earn credits for transfer, graduate with an associate degree or complete a certificate for fast entry into the workforce.
Founded in 1926, Temple College has enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence for 97 years. It is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs, from visual and performing arts to competitive athletics. The College has become one of the state’s premiere institutions for healthcare providers’ education and training, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development programs. The faculty and staff are committed to providing exceptional quality instruction.
Temple College alumna Ebony Gebrehawariat, center, is awarded the Lifelong Leopard Award. (Steve Lemmons, Temple College)
The Temple College Foundation honored the W.D. Kelley Foundation with the Lifelong Leopard Award. (Steve Lemmons, Temple College)
