Harlingen seniors earn millions in scholarships

HARLINGEN — Harlingen’s graduating seniors were awarded millions of dollars in scholarships this year.

“It’s increasing from last year,” said Shane Strubhart, spokesperson for the Harlingen school district.

HCISD students were awarded more than $25 million in scholarships.

“Our college and career advisors and counselors were more aware of what’s out there and they worked more with students to ensure they got access to those scholarships,” he said.

Scholarships came from a wide range of sources.

“There are some local scholarships that are only in Harlingen,” he said. “There are some national scholarships, some state-wide scholarships.”

Various organizations, nonprofits and even individuals offer scholarships.

“For example, the Harlingen Area Educational Foundation gives scholarships to seniors every year, but they’re only for Harlingen CISD students,” he said. “That’s a perfect example of an organization that has money set aside every year for students.”

Others are intended to honor someone who has died, such as the Lilia Lamon Scholarship.

“You’ll also see some national scholarships,” he said. “The National Hispanic Scholarship, that’s a big one. They pay a good chunk of the tuition. There are just a ton of different scholarships.”