Photo by Debby Chiang Hazel Mendez (center) accepts a scholarship from the International Club. Presenting the award are Teresa Nguyen (left) and Annie Do.

THIS EDITION

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Club awards
scholarship

In 2001, with only one member, two advisors and a vision, the International Club (IC) was on its way to establishing the first North Lake College scholarship for international students.

After several flyers were distributed, banners were hung and classroom visits were made, appointed president Teresa Nguyen and advisors Satu Birch, a former International advisor, and Olivia Villagra were ready to organize the first IC meeting.

"It was a vibrant group of students from all backgrounds," remembers Maria Brereton, who later became IC's vice-president.

On Oct. 11, 2001, the club held its first meeting with more than 30 enthusiastic attendees. A month later at North Lake's Fall Festival, the club sold spring rolls, egg rolls and burritos which were all specially made by the members. It did not take long for the lines to form, and within an hour or so the club raised $200 toward its scholarship fund.

Shortly after the festival, the members did not think twice about donating blood to win $150 while helping others in a blood drive competition sponsored by the Health Center. Within two months, the club was not far from reaching its fall 2001 goal of $600.

Through a contact at the Irving Youth Action Center, the IC was asked to assist in Multicultural Night, where the members, wearing their traditional clothing, set up tables with information about their countries. In return for their involvement, the Irving Youth Center donated $300 to the scholarship fund.

During the spring 2002 semester, the members found time to give back to the community and the school by performing puppet shows at the Ronald McDonald House and assisting in the Student Programs and Resources Department's (SPAR) Lunar New Year celebration and International Day.

When the IC was a year old, it had $700 or so in its scholarship fund, and it was only a matter of time before the scholarship was in effect. The club once again challenged itself to organize the first-ever Date Auction, where students were autctioned as dates to other students to raise more scholarship funds.

The members started promoting the event early in the semester and gathered gift certificates from surrounding restaurants for the couples. Four Seasons Hotel, Pei Wei, Red Hot & Blue, Bahama Breeze, bd's Mongolian Barbecue, Razoos, Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant and i Fratelli were among the many restaurants that gave donations. In a couple of hours, the club raised about $500.

When IC advisor Wanda Whitten was asked what it took for the IC to pull off these fundraising events, she said, "It takes hard work, teamwork and enthusiasm."
The IC organized another Date Auction for the spring 2003 semester. The money raised from the second auction was not short of the previous year. It was now time for the club officers to sit down and discuss what the requirements and qualifications of the scholarship recipients should be.

In order for the scholarship and IC to remain strong and in effect, the funds were decided to go to an active club member, who would also be an international student. The club itself, however, is open to everyone. In fact, although most of the members are of different ethnicities, they are not all international students. It was decided that it would be the IC's responsibility to raise the funds every semester for the scholarship.

When it came to nominating a recipient, the IC's officers quickly nominated Hazel Mendez, who, after living in the United States for only a month, attended the IC's first meeting and from then on enthusiastically and actively participated in all of IC's functions. She remains the ambassador of the International Club, who helps the communication flow between the Spanish-speaking members.

When asked why President Annie Do nominated Mendez, she said, "Hazel is deserving of this scholarship because of her dedication to the club and its purpose, as well as her contagious enthusiasm."

At an International Club barbecue held at Jefferson Park in May 2003, Whitten, along with Club members, presented the first-ever scholarship for international students to Mendez.

What everybody had been working long and hard for was happening before their eyes, and they were all soaking in the moment. As we looked around, we knew we had all become more than just club members, we had become friends and even family to each other. As a whole, the club hopes that the future IC members' time spent at North Lake College is as fulfilling as the ones before them.