The WestStar Challenge
In January, WestStar laid the foundation for a successful 2022 with a $500,000 gift to TTUHSC EL Paso. The gift came with a unique spin: the funds would be used to match the contributions of other donors to create new scholarships for the university’s four schools.
Eight months later, all $500,000 was matched for $1,00,000 in student scholarship support.
Aguilar Family Foundation
In January 2022, the Aguilar Family Foundation announced a $50,000 gift for nursing scholarships. With WestStare’s match, the scholarship fund totaled $100,000 for local students pursuing a degree in one of the most high-demand careers facing a critical shortage.
The gift was made by Richard and Corina Aguilar and their sons, Ricky and Abe. They were inspired by the family’s comforting experiences with nurses as Abe’s son, Santiago, endured three open-heart surgeries as an infant.
Hunt School of Nursing student Jazmin Melendez, a graduate of Del Valle High School, knows the difference a scholarship can make. She was inspired by her mother, a nurse, and her compassion for patients.
“The relationship you make with patients is so important — it’s more than just health care,” Melendez said. “Scholarships help tremendously so we can provide that care. When students have to worry about paying for school, it puts more stress on their shoulders — especially nursing school, which is challenging and rigorous. These gifts are meaningful and generous to students like me.”
Cliff and Martha Eisenberg
An El Paso family whose support of our Borderplex community has transformed lives for years is now ensuring the region will have more physicians to care for its residents.
In February 2022, longtime TTUHSC El Paso supporters Cliff and Martha Eisenberg announced a $100,000 gift for the creation of the Cliff and Martha Eisenberg Medical Student Scholarship. The Eisenbergs have a long history of philanthropy in El Paso and were among the inaugural donors who helped establish the Foster School of Medicine in 2007.
The gift included an additional $75,000 from the WestStar fund for a $175,000 scholarship endowment that will grow in perpetuity. Their scholarship will assist students like Foster School of Medicine student Krysta Caudle, a first-generation high school and college graduate. She hopes to specialize in orthopaedic surgery, healing athletes so they can do what they love.
“I come from a low-income household, and my parents didn’t have much help, so money was always on our minds,” said Caudle, who graduates in May. “Scholarships are critical to pursing my dream of becoming a physician. What the Eisenbergs are doing is a level of generosity that’s inspiring.”
Paul and Cecilia Porras
A life built on determination inspired another meaningful gift in the spring. President and CEO of The Garick Group, Inc., Paul Porras, his wife, Cecilia, and their family announced a $250,000 gift for medical and dental student scholarships. With a match from WestStar, the $500,000 Gary G. Porras Family Scholarship was named after Paul’s late father. Gary’s focus on giving back inspired the family’s philanthropic values.
The scholarship ensures Gary’s legacy lives on in our Borderplex community and beyond, touching lives for generations. Valeria Varela, M.D., a graduate of the Foster School of Medicine’s class of 2022, said the Porras’ gift will continue to give. Throughout her medical school journey, scholarships afforded her the opportunity to serve her community and inspired a goal of one day becoming a scholarship donor.
“I served on the leadership teams of our clinic for migrant workers and the Medical Student Run Clinic Mobile Care Unit, which provides health care screenings to the Agua Dulce community,” Varela said. “I wouldn’t have had the time to volunteer without scholarship support. It’s instilled in me the importance of giving back, and I hope to make a change in a medical student’s life in the future by becoming a scholarship donor.”
Alan and Patty Russell
WestStar’s impact continued into the fall, when community leaders Alan and Patty Russell announced a $100,000 gift for Hunt School of Nursing students. A match from the WestStar fund brought the total to $200,000.
Alan, co-founder of the Tecma Group of Companies, and Patty, Tecma’s in-house real estate consultant, have stepped up for the community in times of need, including during the COVID-19 pandemic when they donated convalescent plasma to help heal others experiencing severe illness. Their gift will have a resounding impact on students like Daniel Cisneros, an El Pasoan who chose the nursing field because of his parents. Scholarships support Cisneros and his peers, especially with emergencies that can prevent students from graduating on time.
“Growing up, I witnessed countless moments in which my parents stepped up to help those in need, whether it was building a house, repairing a car, a leak, a wall or a roof. Their legacy is one of selflessness and care for others, and I hope to live up to it,” Cisneros said. “Through the Russells’ selfless act, they no only impact us, but our patients’ lives.”