Hundreds of students and donors gathered at the Joe White Memorial Gymnasium recently to celebrate Allan Hancock College Foundation’s annual scholarship awards.
This year, 409 students received 578 scholarships totaling $725,000 — the most awarded in the foundation’s 49-year history, and a 20 percent increase over the previous year.
A scholarship committee comprised of 12 Hancock faculty, staff and foundation board members chose this year’s recipients from more than 860 applications.
“Scholarships do more than help students pay for college. They create opportunities, remove barriers, and remind students that their community believes in their potential,” said Jon Hooten, executive director of college advancement and the Allan Hancock College Foundation.
“It’s inspiring to see so many students recognized for their dedication, perseverance, and academic success,” Hooten said.
Audel Guizar received the the $10,000 Marian Hancock Scholarship, named in honor of the late wife of Captain G. Allan Hancock.
The scholarship is awarded annually to one exceptional student who exemplifies academic excellence, leadership, perseverance and service to the college and community.
Guizar is the 62nd student to receive the Marian Hancock Scholarship since it was first awarded in 1967.
Guizar is graduating from Hancock with a degree in engineering and plans to transfer this fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering, with hopes to eventually complete an MD/Ph.D. program and become a physician-scientist focused on advancing cancer treatment research.
The first in his family to attend college and an active participant in Hancock’s MESA program, Guizar has distinguished himself through academic achievement, undergraduate research, student mentorship, and community advocacy, the foundation said.
Motivated in part by his late father’s battle with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Guizar said he hopes to improve cancer therapies and increase equitable access to clinical trials for underserved communities.
In addition to his academic work at Hancock, Guizar served as a legislative ambassador and Ambassador Constituent Team lead with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, advocating for increased cancer research funding and improved healthcare access.
As part of that role, he traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak with lawmakers about issues affecting cancer patients and underserved communities.
Despite significant personal hardships, including the loss of his father shortly before beginning college, Guizar excelled academically while navigating higher education as a first-generation student from a homeschooling background.
“Starting college as a first-generation student felt overwhelming at times, but the support I found at Hancock through programs like MESA and the Math Center helped me realize what was possible,” Guizar said in his scholarship application.
“I look to the future with purpose, knowing I am preparing to contribute to meaningful cancer research and to support families like mine who face a cancer diagnosis.”
The Allan Hancock College Foundation has been a resource for thousands of Allan Hancock College students since 1977. In the last seven years, the foundation has awarded over $4 million in scholarship support.
The foundation has raised funds over the years that have changed lives through education by touching every aspect of the college’s life, including scholarships, programs, projects and faculty and staff development.
To learn more, visit https://www.hancockcollege.edu/foundation/index.php.