IT Scholarship 2021

My father Cruz battled colon cancer for 5 years. Throughout his life and during his cancer journey he epitomized courage, perseverance and hope. He was a humble, hard-working, selfless and caring man. A man of few words yet his main form of communication was action and through his actions, he inspired, loved, and helped others. He will be forever missed and be remembered as a wonderful human being who touched the lives around him with his kindness and bravery to give it your all always. I miss you immensely dad. Forever in our hearts. Rest in peace.
-Maribel Villegas

Cameron Demarques Smith... He was the best little brother. He always stood out being so different than his other brothers. The baby boy of the family, soon followed by the baby sister. He was always the sweetest, most caring of the bunch. Cameron was so intelligent, and could educate you about anything, even if he didn't know what he was talking about. Art flowed freely from him. From woodwork, to paint and drawing. He was immensely talented naturally. He loved technology and gaming and sought after a career in it after university. We know he would have done amazing things if given the chance. When we think of Cameron today, it is to remember his contagious smile that warmed up any room, to remember how healing his hugs were and how he always had a nice word and warm cup of tea to cheer you up if you were sad. HE was funny, warm, and loving and will always be remembered that way, because that is how he lived his life.

Major: Computer Science

 

 

Major: Data Analytics

 

 

Major: Computer Science

Jeffrey Moreland is a 4.0 GPA Computer Science graduate and a Master of Data Analytics candidate both at the University of Houston: Downtown (UHD). During his undergraduate studies Jeffrey began assisting his fellow classmates in their course studies which inspired his interest in teaching. As such, Jeffrey was nominated and became Vice President of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) student chapter at UHD where he taught weekly Computer Science workshops. In addition to his master's program Jeffrey is a software developer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a federal contractor under the Integrated Mission Operations Contract II (IMOC II) and is part of the International Space Station (ISS) - Station Support Computers (SSC) Laptop & Network Integration group, as a Space Operations Computing (SpOC) team member. Jeffrey was previously a volunteer at the Friends For Life no kill animal shelter but now volunteers as a teacher's assistant for a 9th grade Intro to Computer Science class under the TEALS program. Jeffrey hopes to use his interest in Computer Science and teaching to assist, inspire, and otherwise make a positive impact on the lives of others.