Hispanic Alumni Network’s Fiesta Raises Big Money for Scholarships

By Amanda O'Donnell in Special, TXEX on September 17, 2013 at 12:30 pm | No Comments

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At the Texas Exes Hispanic Alumni Network’s 12th-annual Fiesta last Friday, there was no shortage of fun—or empañadas, for that matter. The event included more than 300 of the stuffed pastries, plus silent and live auctions, a raffle, and a lotería.

Held at the Alumni Center, this year’s Fiesta brought in a record $25,000, the majority of which will go toward the Hispanic Challenge Grant, one of the network’s many scholarships. The night’s success, says Texas Exes networks coordinator Taylor McNew, was due in part to some popular big-ticket auction items, including an NFL bowling package and a celebrity golf package. Guests also bid on a varsity Longhorn jacket, football tickets, and a “set of big longhorns to put on the wall.”

“We really haven’t thought of a better way to say that,” laughs McNew, BS ’10.

In addition to performances by the Longhorn Band and UT’s Mariachi Ensemble, the Fiesta also included a guest speaker close to the heart of the Hispanic Alumni Network. UT senior Elda Trevino, a past recipient of the Texas Exes Hispanic Challenge Grant, spoke to the crowd about how the scholarship—and the events that fund it—have made her biomedical engineering degree possible.

Fiesta co-founder and chair of the Hispanic Alumni Network Teresa Arnold, BA ’88, says that Fiesta gives attendees the opportunity to keep up with friendships they’ve formed through the network during the year.

“Family and friends have a chance to come together once a year and renew friendships and participate in a great cause,” Arnold says. “It’s all about giving back to the University and supporting students through our scholarships.”

Photos by Matt Valentine.

Tags: Fiesta, Hispanic Alumni Network, Hispanic Challenge Grant, Taylor McNew, Teresa Arnold