Northeast Campus was overflowing with more than 400 high school students, their parents and current TCC students at its first “Rock Your Future” EXPO. Monique Hair walked away as the grand prize winner of an iPad 2.
Win-Win Day
“There was a continuous stream of students and prospective students with their parents throughout the day,” said NE President Larry Darlage. “The conversations with advisors and faculty members will help them make appropriate preparations before they register.”
NE Student Success committee member Laurie Semple described the expo this way: “You could feel the buzz throughout the day. It was wonderful to see the personal interaction that occurred on all levels.” Semple went on to say, “It was a ‘win-win’ situation all the way around. Students and parents connected with faculty and student services. A more informed student will be a more successful student.”
Scholarship Winners
Scholarship winners expressed their gratitude. “I’m beyond thrilled to have won the scholarship. This blessing could not have come a better time,” said Teresa Beach. The winner of two scholarships in separate drawings said Rock Your Future “was a turning point in my life.”
Prizes
Door prize tickets were earned by visiting the various information tables. They were made possible by the following sponsors:
- AT&T, one $10 Wal-Mart cards
- Bates Container, five $20 Office Depot gift cards
- Big Green Car Wash, three $33 car washes
- Chili’s, four $5 coupons
- ECI , two $150 scholarships and 28 $7 food vouchers
- Follett, two $150 gift cards
- Holiday Inn Express, one overnight stay
- Italianni’s , three $10 coupons
- McAllister’s, two $10 meal coupons
- McGraw-Hill, one ColorNook:
- Metroplex Rotary of Southlake, ten $150 scholarships
- Pearson Publishing, two $15 iTunes cards
- Rave Movie, 20 movie tickets
- Red, Hot and Blue, two $25 gift cards
- Shalyn Clark of State Farm , three $150 scholarships
- Staples , four $25 gift cards
- Wealth Strategy Advisors, $100 cash
- Wiley Publishing,, one $150 class scholarship
Unnamed contributors also donated:
- One $10 Burger King card
- Five $10 Chick-fil-A gift cards and five cows with coupons
- One iPad2
- One $10 Sonic card
- Three $10 Starbucks gift cards
- Three $10 Subwaygift cards
- One $15 Wendy’s gift card
Financial Aid
Several students took advantage of the presence of TCC’s Mobile Go Center to fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other paperwork. They also learned details of how to pay for college and reasons to make TCC their first choice for college from NE Financial Aid Director Consuela Mitchell and Rock Your Future planner and TCC History Professor Andy Hollinger.
Team Effort
Anne Drake, Rock Your Future chair, said she was pleased with faculty response. “The complete buy-in of the faculty to participate on a Saturday was great. They chipped in wherever asked,” Drake said. “The complete focus of everyone there was on student success and what they could do to help.”
“That common mission flowed from the grounds keepers, physical plant folks, food service, media to faculty,” she said.
NE Counselor Anita Peters, who greeted visitors as they arrived and spoke with many as they left, agreed. “One of the things that impressed me was the overall positive attitude and energy of the event. It was a great deal of fun and a privilege to be a part of.”
Hats off to the more than 170 TCC faculty and staff who volunteered their time to help make it possible to showcase TCC!