Women’s Scholarship Winner Thriving in College

The TGA Foundation awarded the ’Nez Muhleman / Doris Kallina scholarship to Rakeshia Wines in 2015. The four-year scholarship provides Wines with $25,000 in college funding over four years. Rakeshia is enjoying her college experience so far and earned a 3.0 GPA in her first semester at Stephen F. Austin University, where she is studying Mass Communications. 
 
“I like that it’s a small community and I really like the campus,” Wines said.
 
She said she looks forward to her multi-media class this coming semester, during which she expects to learn more about Photoshop projects.
 
Rakeshia also has an exciting opportunity to study abroad in Spain over the summer of 2016. Her Spanish professor recommended her for the program that places students in private homes in Spain and gives them a complete immersion in the Spanish language and culture. This trip will be the first time Rakeshia has ever been outside the United States and her first time on an airplane! When asked if she had always planned to study abroad, Rakeshia said an opportunity like this had never even occurred to her. She is the first member of her immediate family to attend college anywhere, let alone take classes in Spain. However, she was inspired by her Spanish professor who suggested she pursue the program. 
 
“She said she thought I would be good at it and that I could do it, so I’m going to,” Rakeshia said. 
 
Rakeshia wanted to attend college partly to set a good example for her younger brother – and after just one semester she is off to an excellent start. The WTGA Committee and TGA Foundation are proud of Rakeshia and honored to support her. To learn more about her plans for her time in Spain, visit Rakeshia’s page at www.gofundme.com/keshiatospain. To learn more about the TGA Foundation and find out how to support programs that provide opportunities for people like her, visit our website at http://www.txga.org/support/.