Cichez Dounley dreams of starting her own minority-owned consulting firm one day, helping businesses with cloud migration. Of course, she loves computers and technology but there is a deeper reason in pursuit of becoming an entrepreneur.
“I want other single mothers to be financially independent,” she said. “I want to hire them and help them to break barriers in computer technology, give them the opportunities that I received — hold their hand and encourage education at any age.”
Dounley is proof that it’s never too late to receive an education and chase your dreams, regardless of age. Dallas College has helped her break down her own barriers as a single mother of six with challenges of facing homelessness and financial hardship.
Today, Dounley is thriving as a Dallas College student with plans to go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science. That road has become easier as she is a recipient of Dallas College’s prestigious Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship.
Dounley and 2021-22 ETK recipient Daniel Juarez shared their stories at the Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 10. It was a heartwarming reminder of the type of students that embody many of the same values as Dallas College.
Dounley described the moment reading the email in which she was awarded the scholarship as “amazing.”
“It was my first scholarship ever,” she said. “And to read the story of Erin Kramp was motivating and inspiring to me, to see how she overcame her obstacles and pressed forward.”
Dounley will use her experience as a reminder to her own children to apply for scholarships and reach for the stars. She added that higher education has become a staple in her household these days as everyone wants to become the “first” in the family to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“It’s kind of a race right now,” she said, smiling. “But I’m excited. We’re all very competitive, which is a good thing.”
Juarez’s Success Story
Juarez was an ETK recipient and is now in his senior year at SMU. He’s majoring in marketing with a minor in psychology.
Being on the cusp of earning a bachelor’s degree is the next chapter in Juarez’s remarkable story. His mother passed away after a battle with breast cancer when Juarez was 12, and he was headed down the wrong path in his native Guatemala. Juarez relocated to the United States, and Dallas College helped get him on the path to success.
Juarez estimated he applied for more than 30 scholarships but becoming an ETK recipient has been life changing.
“Whenever I received the actual (scholarship), I felt very grateful,” he said. “Not only did I not have to worry financially but they were also able to support my ambitions to make my community better.”
Making the community better is what Juarez is driven to do after his college days. In the next 10 years, he’d like to have his own foundation where he provides merit-based scholarships and helps families who have gone through similar hardships as him by losing a loved one or dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
“Create a community that supports each other and gives them the resources that they need,” Juarez said. “I think that would be a good starting point for my next 10 years.”
Scholarship Opportunities
The Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship is just one of many scholarships available for Dallas College students to pursue. For a full listing of available scholarships, visit the Foundation’s myScholarships webpage. It is frequently updated.
