Cheniere Foundation presents $50,000 alligator-shaped check to Del Mar College for new Cheniere Process Technology Scholarship
Funds covering ten $5,000 scholarships during next two academic years; Cheniere Process Technology Scholarship targeting students from San Patricio County to prepare them for industry workforce
Article by Melinda Eddleman
Highly skilled workers in the process technology field are in demand in the Coastal Bend region, and Cheniere Energy, Inc. is ensuring that the workforce they need is available by supporting training offered at Del Mar College (DMC). Their effort includes supporting DMC students through scholarships with the establishment of the new Cheniere Process Technology Scholarship through the Del Mar College Foundation.
On Sept. 21, Lance Brown, Asset Training Manager with Cheniere Energy, Inc., who is also a DMC Foundation Board member, and Alexa Fulbright, Lead Specialist with the company’s Community Affairs, presented a $50,000 alligator-shaped check to Mary McQueen, Executive Director of Development and DMC Foundation, and Dean of the College’s Industry and Public Service Division Davis Merrell. The funds cover ten $5,000 scholarships during two academic years––five during the current academic year (2022-2023) and another five during 2023-2024.
Cheniere has been a generous supporter of Del Mar College over the past years assisting the College with its mission to prepare area citizens to fill the evolving needs of the local workforce. Thanks to Del Mar for our partnership, and we wish great success to the scholarship recipients.
Since 2012, Cheniere’s financial support for the College has reached almost $900,000, including equipment support for DMC’s Process Technology and Instrumentation Programs, a refrigeration training skid, invaluable engineering assistance with the development of the Glycol Distillation Pilot Plant in 2015 and facility stipends for high demand fields.
We are thankful for Cheniere’s continued support of Del Mar College students and excited about this generous investment toward changing students’ lives for the better. The Cheniere Process Technology Scholarship provides access to the training necessary for our students to enter the local workforce safely and efficiently. We appreciate Cheniere’s commitment to enriching our community through educational opportunities.
Eligible applicants will major in the DMC Process Technology, Industrial Instrumentation or Millwright Programs or be enrolled in a related industrial program approved by Cheniere. Students must have and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average and be enrolled full-time with a 12 credit-hour minimum course load each semester.
The company’s goal is to provide scholarship awards is to current San Patricio County residents or students who graduated from a high school located in that county. The award will follow eligible students through completion of their program.
Additionally, students receiving the Cheniere Process Technology Scholarship will be eligible to apply for the company’s apprenticeship program, which occurs after completing one year of study toward recipients’ associate’s degrees. The College will provide students’ names and contact information to Cheniere for recruitment and potential inclusion in the company’s apprenticeship program.
For information about the Chenier Apprenticeship Program, visit www.cheniere.com/careers/apprenticeships
“I have a family history in process technology,” Bates said, noting that both his father and grandfather worked as operators for other companies and that he would make the third generation in his family to enter the field. “My goal is to become an operator and prove my worth as an employee by doing whatever is necessary to expand my experience and experience [in that role].”
Bates had already earned an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Del Mar in 2017 and transferred to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Systems and Land Surveying. Then COVID-19 hit, and classes all moved online. Bates said that online instruction wasn’t for him.
I decided to work odd jobs with my brother while I waited for in-person classes to resume. Del Mar was the first to begin in-person classes … so I changed my plans and returned to the College in fall 2021.
As a first Cheniere Process Technology Scholarship recipient this fall, Bates said, “The scholarship has helped me focus on school by allowing me to cut back on work hours and put the effort required to fully dedicate myself to learning.”
The scholarship application process for the 2023-2024 academic year begins Feb. 1, 2023, and eligible individuals can apply at www.delmar.edu/scholarships.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.