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April 13, 2005
Contacts: Suzanne Higgins
suzanne.higgins@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3808 Patricia Rhodes Vogel
pr.vogel@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3014
GCC Employees Raise $21,500 for Student Scholarships in Ten Days!
On March 31, Glendale Community College engineering/electronics professor Dr. Carlos Nuñez issued a challenge to his fellow employees: "Pledge a donation to the GCC student scholarship fund and I will match your donations up to a total of $10,000." The only catch was that they had only ten days to make a pledge. Nuñez, a triathlete competitor, was to compete in the Ironman Arizona Triathlon on April 9. He chose to make the ten-day countdown to the triathlon also the countdown for pledges to the student scholarship fund--believing that a sense of urgency would stimulate pledges.
In a nutshell, Nuñez was correct. In only ten days, 78 GCC faculty and staff pledged $11,500, insuring that he would pay the full $10,000 he had pledged. Thus, a grand total of $21,500 was raised for the student scholarship fund. GCC is highly committed to raising such funds—the grand total available to students each year at GCC is well over one million dollars.
When asked by GCC Assistant Director of Development Judy Sánchez what had inspired such a generous pledge, Nuñez said he wanted to endow a scholarship in honor of his parents, Luis Nuñez and Amanda Noriega. He went on to describe his childhood in Mexico as very poor; his parents were educated people but work was scarce and very underpaid. Nuñez, his parents and siblings all lived with relatives in crowded conditions for much of his childhood. His parents worked extremely hard in order to make sure their children had good educational opportunities. As a result of their dedication and many sacrifices, Nuñez and all of his siblings were able to earn doctorates in various fields—Nuñez' youngest sibling is currently in Spain finishing up her doctorate in law.
Grateful to his parents for their devotion and grateful for the educational opportunities he had, Nuñez wanted to "give back" and make such opportunities available to others. Thus, he created the scholarship honoring his parents.
To top it all off, Nuñez finished the Ironman Arizona Triathlon in a "personal best" time of 11 hours and 47 minutes! His wife and three children were waiting for him at the finish line and his four-year-old son asked, "Did you win, Daddy?" The obvious answer from his colleagues at GCC and from future fortunate recipients of his scholarship, is, "Yes, Dr. Carlos Nuñez is definitely a winner."
To inquire about or apply for GCC scholarships, contact Frances Mateo at
frances.mateo@gcmail.maricopa.edu or 623.845.3379. For information about donating to the GCC student scholarship fund, contact Judy Sánchez at
judy.sanchez@gcmail.maricopa.edu or 623.845.3481
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Spring 2005:
 | April 13, 2005 |
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