Grad student wins Lanzate travel award from HACU

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
August 26, 2008

Mayra Sigala, a graduate student from El Paso majoring in guidance and counseling at Texas State University-San Marcos, has been awarded the “Lanzate” award by Southwest Airlines in conjunction with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

The annual educational travel award program benefitted 450 students who applied for the award through the HACU. The travel tickets were awarded to undergraduate and graduate Hispanic students with socio-economic need, who journey away from home to pursue a higher education. All of the participants submitted an essay that stated why they should get the award and the reasons that pushed them to pursue an advanced degree.

"For the past four years, in partnership with Southwest Airlines, we have helped to make the dream of a higher education possible for students by decreasing the barrier of distance," said Antonio Flores, president and CEO of HACU. "HACU takes great pride in the ‘Lanzate’ program and the lives it continues to impact."

HACU, which has its national headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, represents more than 450 colleges and universities, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), which collectively serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic higher education students in the United States. HACU's international membership includes leading higher education institutions in Latin America and in Spain.

For more information, contact Norma Jean Revilla-Garcia, director of communications for HACU, at (210) 576-3206 or via email at news@hacu.net.