Foundation Annual Report 2019

Scholarship Spotlight
Lus Arellano
The Chapelwood Foundation shares God’s
grace with college students who lack the
financial resources necessary to attend
college through scholarships, mentoring,
and support. Currently, there are more
than sixty students in the Foundation
Scholarship program, and many are the first
in their family to attend college. These high
achieving and highly motivated students
would not be able to attain their dream
of a college education without financial
assistance.
One of our recent graduates, Lus Arellano,
graduated Summa Cum Laude from the
University of Houston. She currently
teaches math at Pilgrim Academy, an HISD
middle school. Many of her students are
recent immigrants to this country. Lus
is having a huge, positive impact on
her students, and was recently named
“Beginning Teacher of the Year” for the
2019-20 school year.
What obstacles did you face growing up?
“The biggest obstacle I faced growing up
was when my dad got very ill. I was in
elementary school when my dad got an
infection that disabled him from working.
He had to be in a recovery center for about
two months. This led to a family financial
crisis because my dad could not work and
my mom did not work at the time. My mom
had to get a job to be able to pay the bills
and provide food for us. Family, teachers,
and our church helped us overcome this
huge challenge in our lives. As we got older
and became more independent, we were
able to get jobs to help support the family.”
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
“When attending middle school, I made
some bad choices that I regretted later.
Thankfully, because of the guidance of my
teachers, I was able to overcome my bad
choices. I wanted to become a teacher
because I always felt the support from them
throughout my education. My two main
teacher influences were from the Math
team at Memorial High School. These two
teachers always looked out for me and gave
me the best advice I could receive. I want
to be THAT kind of teacher that they were to
me in school. I want to follow the example
of my teachers and make an impact on
every child’s life!
More than half of the students at Pilgrim
Academy are at risk of dropping out and
not attending high school. They do not
have the example of their older siblings
attending college or even going on to high
school. I have encouraged my students and
told them that anything is possible. Telling
them my story and how I can relate to them
is giving many of them hope. They have
seen that it is possible that someone can
be in their same situation and still attend
college and have a career.”
What were some of the highs and lows of
attending the University of Houston?
“One struggle that was very hard for
me throughout my years at UH was not
knowing if I was going to be financially
stable. When I transferred to the University
of Houston from Houston Community
College, it was a hard time in my life. I had
recently lost my dad, and we were not in a
stable financial situation at home. There
were days when I did not know if I was
going to have money for gas or food. I was
a full-time student at school during the
week, and on the weekends, I would work
odd jobs to help supplement my mom with
money for the bills. Being the first one
in the family attending a university was a
big deal but it also added a lot of pressure
on me. I knew that I needed to be a role
model for my family and make them all
proud. Having a great deal of support from
friends and family made college a little less
stressful. Not having my father there to
witness me attending college was one of
the hardest things I have gone through. I
know I would have made him proud!
Some high points that I had at UH were the
times I was able to volunteer and give back
to the community. In addition, making
the dean’s list every semester and being
inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi Honor
Society were big accomplishments in my
education. Knowing that all my hard work
was paying off made me happy. Graduating
with the highest honors, Summa Cum
Laude, was a HUGE accomplishment. I
know I made family, friends, and my
mentors proud of my achievement. One of
my biggest blessings I have had so far is the
scholarship money from the Chapelwood
Foundation. Without this help, I would not
have been able to finish school.”
We are very proud of Lus and all she has
accomplished! Her students are blessed to
have her as a teacher and role model.
SCHOLARSHIP
15