Young Alumni Couple Create Endowed Scholarship for First-Generation and Transfer Students
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) transfer student Andrew Hubbard’17 and first-generation college student, Carla Juarez’17 met while attending UTSA and married soon after in 2019. Following their positive university experience, the couple decided to create a fundraising campaign in lieu of a traditional wedding registry. Their campaign supported the UTSA First Gen & Transfer Student Center. More recently, the philanthropic pair took their passion one bold step further and created the Juarez-Hubbard Endowed Scholarship.
“When I was younger, I dreamed about going to college. I knew achieving this dream wouldn’t be easy, but I was determined,” said Carla. “When I arrived at UTSA, it was hard to be a first-generation college student navigating the higher education system. There was so much I didn’t know about obtaining and retaining scholarships, scheduling classes, student involvement, and career preparation. At the time, I thought I was alone in experiencing these challenges.”
Andrew and Carla say students enrolled in the Honors College represent a subset of the student body who have already overcome many challenges and yet still find different ways to succeed inside and outside the classroom. Their $25,000 endowed scholarship will provide scholarships to undergraduate students enrolled in the Honors College with preference given to first-generation and transfer students.
As graduates of the Honors College, the couple agreed that the college fosters an inclusive spirit of learning and development. They personally witnessed representatives from the Honors College reach out to and matriculate students who would not have otherwise seen themselves worthy of being honor students because of their backgrounds or financial hardships.
Now that the couple has found success as UTSA alumni, they believe it is their responsibility to give back to students in need. They stand by the conviction that young adults are the future leaders of tomorrow and should be given the opportunity to receive their education and have their voices heard despite any challenges they may face in their lives.
“We hope that this endowment provides students the support they need and helps encourage others, who are able, to support students financially,” said Andrew.
-Jordan Allen, Development Writer
