Our Girl of the Lake College held a small celebration to announce a profitable scholarship fund marketing campaign that yielded $2 million, a objective they met about 5 months forward of schedule and one they now hope to double within the additional time they’ve gained.
In June 2025, college leaders got down to attain a $2 million objective for the Sisters of Divine Windfall Scholarship Fund, which affords scholarships for college students in monetary must cowl the price of their training.
“Reaching this essential $2 million milestone tells me and it exhibits me, it’s a affirmation that we’re on the precise path,” OLLU President Abel Antonio Chávez stated through the occasion.
“Now [the board of trustees has] challenged me, they’ve challenged us, with doubling that objective. A further $2 million {dollars} by the top of the fiscal yr which ends on the finish of Could,” he added.
In 2025 the Trump administration halted the disbursement of about $350 million in aggressive grants meant to help minority serving establishments, together with these federally designated as Hispanic Serving Establishments citing that the enrollment threshold wanted to qualify as such — 25% Latino or Hispanic enrollment — is unconstitutional.
Below this designation schools might then compete for funding meant to serve their complete pupil physique, not solely those that establish as Latino or Hispanic — a widespread false impression in line with native faculty officers.
OLLU misplaced about $5 million in discontinued grants that may have supported college students over the following few years, stated Steve O’Donnell, chairman of the OLLU board of trustees.
In 2025, college officers determined to chop about 16 educational packages after a two-year evaluation of the viability of under-enrolled packages, which additionally resulted within the lack of college members. This was a really onerous choice, O’Donnell stated, however one which was vital.
“Whereas these modifications create monetary pressure, our response is rooted in hope,” O’Donnell stated. “The necessity for fundraising and particularly fundraising for scholarships, has by no means been extra essential than it’s now, particularly for the scholars that we serve, most of that are first of their households to go to varsity.”
With the primary $2 million raised, officers hope they’ll fund not less than 150 scholarships — based mostly on their common quantity awarded per educational yr. The objective now could be to double that quantity forward of the 2026-25 educational yr.
“This scholarship was not simply monetary help. It was a key. One which unlocked training, mentorship, group, religion, and goal,” stated Katherine Delgadillo, a senior in OLLU’s kinesiology program who plans to quickly switch to College of Texas Well being San Antonio to pursue a graduate diploma.
Delgadillo, 19, spoke on the celebration concerning the impression of getting the monetary help by means of the scholarship to attend and stay in faculty.
“For college kids like me, college students who grew up watching faculty solely in motion pictures, not in actual life,” Delgadillo stated. “These scholarships flip what as soon as felt not possible into one thing attainable. In lots of communities, greater training just isn’t the norm.”
