SJC : A Promising Future

Press release from the San Jacinto College:

March 10, 2022

Bianca Compean imagined San Jacinto College in her future. She just wasn’t sure whether she would need four years to finish a two-year degree. 

Like many of her peers, the South Houston High School senior had one question: How could she pay for college without going into debt?

The solution seemed to be part-time classes until advisors at her high school shared the news. The Promise @ San Jac scholarship would cover her tuition and books for up to three years. No debt, no sweat.

Compean jumped at this opportunity. The youngest of three, she comes from a warm, loving family. She enjoys casting a fishing rod with her dad, simmering marinara sauce for family spaghetti dinners, and playing “Friends” Monopoly when her brothers and sister-in-law visit. What her supportive family couldn’t provide was funding for college.

Thanks to Promise, Compean started at San Jac in fall 2020 and is reaching her goals faster as a full-time student.

The scholarship also opened an unexpected door. With most basics out of the way, Compean is eyeing the diagnostic medical sonography program because of her own experience with a pre-surgery ultrasound years ago. She looks forward to quality medical training at no cost.

“I wanted to be a sonographer at heart,” she said. “After graduating from San Jac, I am hoping to get hired on in the medical field.”

The last-dollar Promise scholarship covers 100 percent of tuition and books after federal and state aid, grants, and other scholarships. Not only does the scholarship promise no student debt, but a certificate or degree offers better career opportunities and income potential than a high school diploma alone.

Compean did not want to miss out on college, especially with up to three years of paid-for education and a Promise success coach for priority registration and one-on-one help.

“The coaches are there to reassure you that you are on the path for your degree plan and answer any questions you have during your college journey,” she said.

Since money is no object, Compean can laser-focus on her classes and achieve her dreams debt-free. That’s a promise.

“An opportunity like this comes around once in a lifetime,” she said.

You can support students just like Bianca Compean. Sponsor or attend the College’s 60th anniversary gala, “Step Brightly into the Future,” presented by LyondellBasell and the Sinor Family. Funds raised at the gala will benefit the student success endowment supporting Promise @ San Jac scholarships.

Organized by the San Jacinto College Foundation, the gala will be Friday, May 20, 2022, at the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology at the Central Campus. Learn more at sanjac.edu/gala.

About San Jacinto College

Surrounded by monuments of history, evolving industries, maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the people of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. San Jacinto College is among the top five community colleges in the nation as designated by the Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence, and was named an Achieving the Dream Leader College of Distinction in 2020. The College spans five campuses serving approximately 41,000 credit and non-credit students annually, and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates across eight major areas of study that put students on a path to transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. San Jacinto College’s impact on the region totals $1.3 billion in added income, which supports 13,044 jobs. The College is fiscally sound, holding bond ratings of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s.

For more information about San Jacinto College call 281-998-6150, visit sanjac.edu or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

This press release was produced by the San Jacinto College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.