Latest news with #SonnyAlaniz
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
From Odessa to a national stage: OC student Sonny Alaniz named 2025 DREAM Scholar
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- An Odessa College student has earned national recognition as a 2025 DREAM Scholar, a prestigious honor awarded by Achieving the Dream (ATD), an organization focused on advancing student success at community colleges. Sonny Alaniz is one of just eight students selected from ATD Network colleges nationwide for his leadership, perseverance, and commitment to improving the student experience. As part of the program, Alaniz will attend DREAM 2025, ATD's annual conference in Philadelphia, where he will share his personal story and insights on supporting community college students. The event will provide a platform for scholars to engage with higher education leaders, participate in discussions on student success strategies, and present their own experiences and ideas. 'Sonny Alaniz exemplifies the dedication and perseverance that define Odessa College students,' said Keagan Scott, Positively OC Presidential Scholarship Faculty Advisor and Executive Director of Student Life. 'We are incredibly proud of his selection as a DREAM Scholar and excited to see him represent Odessa College on a national stage.' The DREAM Scholars program is designed to amplify student voices and provide leadership development opportunities. Participants, chosen through a competitive application process, receive mentorship, networking opportunities, and a scholarship to support their academic and personal growth. 'At Odessa College, we believe education has the power to change lives,' Scott added. 'Sonny's achievement is not only a reflection of his hard work but also of the support and encouragement he's received from faculty, staff, and our community. We can't wait to see what he accomplishes next.' Odessa College congratulates Alaniz and the other 2025 DREAM Scholars on this achievement, recognizing their efforts to create a positive impact in their communities and beyond. About Achieving the Dream:Achieving the Dream (ATD) partners with over 300 community colleges nationwide to support Whole College Transformation, ensuring equitable access to education and economic opportunity. Through coaching, programs, and a national peer network, ATD helps institutions enhance student outcomes and community impact. Follow ATD on X (Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
OC student to speak at Achieving the Dream convening
Feb. 13—Odessa High School teacher and Odessa College student Sonny Alaniz is headed to the Achieving the Dream convening in Philadelphia next week. Achieving the Dream is a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility. ATD recently announced that eight students who attend ATD Network community colleges, including Alaniz, were chosen as 2025 DREAM Scholars. Alaniz is studying mechanical engineering, physics, mathematics and business administration. He plans to transfer to Texas A&M University to go for degrees in nuclear engineering and astrophysics. Odessa College chose three students to start the ATD application process, followed by an interview and waiting for feedback on whether they got accepted or not. The weeklong conference starts Feb. 17 and ends Feb. 21. DREAM Scholars have to be there on Feb. 17, but the conference starts Feb. 18. Alaniz will be speaking Feb. 20 and he'll close out the speeches for all eight students. He will talk about future aspirations since he's the last one. There's only one other student who was selected from Texas. The rest are from other parts of the United States or are international. This is Alaniz's last semester at Odessa College, but it's also his last semester teaching. The Odessa native and Odessa High School graduate will be uprooting his life and moving to College Station. Alaniz, who teaches robotics and engineering, said he wants to pass knowledge and wisdom on to his students and give them something long lasting. "I want to make sure that even though I'm gone, at least they could take away from my journey what to do, and even if it's nothing related to STEM, at least they'll have the knowledge to be ambitious, to keep striving ... and keep pushing themselves beyond what they think they can do and to be more than what people tell them they are," Alaniz said. He said he will miss the college and the familiarity of Odessa. "It's going to be a new adventure for me, one that I'm excited for," but also nervous, Alaniz said. "It's just going to be a whole new environment and I've just got to make sure I can adapt," he added. Alaniz has visited Texas A&M and he's going back one more time on his spring break. He starts in the fall. He wants to get into research and development as an engineer and eventually work his way into retiring as a university professor. Director of Learning Framework and Special Projects at Odessa College Reagan Saffle said they are very proud of Alaniz. She first met Alaniz when he applied for an Education Foundation grant and her first impression was he was all for students and "has a huge heart for education." Alaniz, 27, also is a Positively OC Scholar. He was president of the student government association and Students in Philanthropy. Once he finished his term, he wanted to strive for more so Positively OC was his next step. The OC website says, the Positively OC Presidential Scholarship covers two years of tuition and fees at Odessa College, for those awarded. "Positively OC Scholars serve as student leaders of the college, through their presence online, around campus, and in the classroom. Positively OC Scholarship recipients are afforded unique opportunities during their time at OC, including access to leadership workshops, public speaking opportunities, a community within the program, mentorship opportunities with OC staff, and more," the site says. Saffle said when he interviewed to be a Positively OC Scholar, she automatically realized he was not only for students but for the community and the campus. "We're just so appreciative and proud of him for all that he's accomplished and all that he's willing to do," Saffle said. Whenever she needs something, Alaniz always asks what he can do, when he can do it and what she needs. "That means so much for us as a campus that he's so willing to give back when we've invested in him, especially for the scholarship," Saffle said. "I do believe that Sonny is the perfect example of a Positively OC Scholar and we're really excited that his accomplishments and his dreams and aspirations will be highlighted at Achieving the Dream." They have applied to have students be DREAM Scholars before, but this is the first time OC has had one chosen, she added. "This was a huge accomplishment for our program specifically because we do always try to encourage Positively OC Scholars to apply, but especially as a campus, it's a good way to highlight all the good we're doing here," Saffle said. "We were selfishly very excited that a Positively OC Scholar got chosen just because that was one of our goals for our program was to highlight the amazing students that are here," she added. The 2025 DREAM Student Scholars are: — Sonny Alaniz — Odessa College (Texas) — Destinee Britto — Tallahassee State College (Florida) — Heidi Counelis — Gateway to College Program at Mott Community College (Michigan) — Bradley Gawie — Central University of Technology (Bloemfontein, South Africa) — Diego Perez Lopez — San Jacinto College (Texas) — Warren Miller — College of Menominee Nation (Wisconsin) — Isaac Njoroge — Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland) — Rashiadah Weaver — Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio) During DREAM, the scholars will meet with community college leaders and attend sessions focused on improving student success. Their experience includes individual presentations through which they will share what they have learned during the week, while providing additional insight about how their ATD Network institution works to improve student success and completion and to drive social and economic mobility. Additionally, each 2025 DREAM Scholar will receive a scholarship to support their educational or personal journey.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Achieving the Dream announces 8 community college students as 2025 DREAM Scholars
Feb. 6—SILVER SPRING, Md. — Achieving the Dream, a national organization committed to advancing community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic mobility, has announced that eight students who attend ATD Network community colleges, including Odessa College, have been selected as 2025 DREAM Scholars. Included among them are one Tribal College and University student; one student from a college within the South African Siyaphumelela Network; and one student from the Gateway to College program. The Scholars, chosen through a competitive application process, will receive tailored leadership development and networking opportunities. At DREAM 2025, this year's annual ATD convening to be held in Philadelphia later this month, the DREAM Scholars will share their inspirational stories, offer recommendations on how to best support today's community college students, and highlight their personal and professional aspirations, a news release said. The 2025 DREAM Student Scholars are: — Sonny Alaniz — Odessa College (Texas) — Destinee Britto — Tallahassee State College (Florida) — Heidi Counelis — Gateway to College Program at Mott Community College (Michigan) — Bradley Gawie — Central University of Technology (Bloemfontein, South Africa) — Diego Perez Lopez — San Jacinto College (Texas) — Warren Miller — College of Menominee Nation (Wisconsin) — Isaac Njoroge — Community College of Baltimore County (Maryland) — Rashiadah Weaver — Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio) During DREAM, the scholars will meet with community college leaders and attend sessions focused on improving student success. Their experience includes individual presentations through which they will share what they have learned during the week, while providing additional insight about how their ATD Network institution works to improve student success and completion and to drive social and economic mobility. Additionally, each 2025 DREAM Scholar will receive a scholarship to support their educational or personal journey. "ATD congratulates the 2025 DREAM Scholars, all of whom are dynamic students who have overcome tremendous obstacles to become leaders at their colleges and in their communities," Francesca I. Carpenter, director of equitable programming and inclusive learning at Achieving the Dream, said in the release. "Each year, the cohort of DREAM Scholars brings a fresh perspective on the student experience. This year's DREAM Scholars are pursuing degrees ranging from computer science to pre-law, while also using their voices to advocate for members of their community with similar backgrounds. Their past challenges are the driving force for their future success. Their experiences have shaped them into the environmental, community, and social justice activists they are today." "At Achieving the Dream, we believe that student voices are essential in telling the story of community colleges," Karen A. Stout, Achieving the Dream's president and CEO, said in the release. "The voices of these eight remarkable scholars highlight the limitless ways that community colleges transform the lives of not only their students but their students' families and communities. Having persevered through a myriad of challenges, our DREAM Scholars have flourished at their respective postsecondary institutions. Their leadership and drive to lift others up stand as a testament to the power of a community college education." The DREAM Student Scholars program is an experiential learning opportunity for community college students designed to enhance leadership, critical thinking, and networking skills. In addition to the scholars' learning experience, the program integrates dynamic student voices into Achieving the Dream's annual DREAM conference. The program is funded by private gifts from ATD Network members, ATD employees, coaches, board members, and partners and friends of ATD.
