GGCC Awards $6,100 in Scholarships (Photo)

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber (GGCC) with the help of donors, awarded four Montgomery College students with a Montgomery College Scholarship at its Annual Celebration Dinner & Awards Ceremony Dec. 5. The Chamber announced they have established an endowment for future giving. The endowment is currently at $35,000, with the goal of $100,000. This will ensure that the GGCC continues to support Montgomery College in perpetuity.

Providing scholarships to students is the best way the Chamber can prepare the workforce of tomorrow. We are honored to be able to contribute in this way,” said Marilyn Balcombe, GGCC Executive Director.

$6,100 was awarded to four Montgomery College students, with four different majors – bioengineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering and cyber security. Below is a briefing on each student.

2014 GGCC Montgomery College Scholarship recipients -Erick Garcia, Edem Bamezon, Fitzroy Henry and Emmanuel Foko Tito with Hughes Network Systems Assistant Vice President Jim Muir (center)- at the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce Annual Celebration Dinner and Awards Ceremony held this month.
Photo | John Keith

Erick Garcia –$1,200

• 2012 graduate from Magruder High School.
• Major is chemical engineering.
• He maintains a 3.81 GPA.
• Garcia has been involved with the Engineering Student Club at the Germantown Campus.
• He is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leaders Program where he writes mock essays on current issues related to the Latino community and has participated in the Toshiba Exploravision competition with brain-computer to chip interface for quadriplegics to regain lower limb movement.
• After completing his studies at Montgomery College, he is planning on transferring to either the James Clark School of Engineering at College Park or to the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A &M.

Edem Bamezon – $1,200

• Bamzon is pursuing an Associate’s Degree in electrical engineering.
• Bamezon’s outstanding academic achievement is demonstrated by his 4.00 grade point average.
• Earlier this year, he volunteered at the Maryland Science Bowl competition and represented Montgomery College at the 5th Annual Math Tournament at Prince George’s Community College.
• Baezon is also an ambassador with the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement group based at Johns Hopkins and he is a member of the MC Engineering Club.
• In his scholarship essay he states that “ giving back to our community through the creation of cheaper communication systems, more accurate medical test devices, new sources of substantial energy, and education of new people in science and technology” is what he sees are examples of engineering having a positive effect on everyday life.

Fitzroy Henry -$2,500

• Henry graduated from Albert Einstein High School in 2011.
• He is majoring in cyber security and his professional goals consist of becoming a Network Administrator or Cyber Security Analyst for either the government or a major business.
• In high school, Henry was part of the Key Club, Kiwanis International and played Varsity Lacrosse.
• After finishing MC, he is planning to transfer to the University of Maryland, Baltimore because of their cyber security degree offering.

Emmanuel Foko Tito – $1,200

• Foko Tito is originally from Cameroon and is a bioengineering student at Montgomery College.
• He currently holds an impressive 3.96 grade point average.
• Foko Tito is an extraordinary young man that at such a young age, he has overcome so many unforeseen situations and along with his brothers they support each other without any parental assistance.
• In his spare time, he is very involved with the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement group based at Johns Hopkins and serves an Ambassador.
• After earning his undergraduate degree, he aspires to get into medical school at either John Hopkins or George Washington University and desires to become a brain surgeon.

The GGCC scholarship committee is chaired by GGCC Past Board Chair & Hughes Network Systems Assistant Vice President Jim Muir. Muir manages donations yearly from Chamber Members and GGCC Past Chairs who step up every year and make individual and in some cases personal donations.

The following companies support the GGCC Scholarship / Montgomery College Scholarship Foundation:

• Deerfield Construction
• Gaithersburg Germantown Chamber of Commerce
• Genesis Security Systems, LLC
• Hughes Network Systems, Inc.
• MAR, Inc.
• Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union
• McShea & Company
• Scheer Partners, Inc.
• Therrien Waddell, Inc.

Past Presidents of the Chamber & individual contributors who have supported this cause include:

• Mary Ann Britton
• Allen DeLeon
• Jerry Gimmel
• Jim Hyatt
• Jim Muir

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