ArcelorMittal Texas HBI reaches $500,000 milestone supporting Del Mar College

Del Mar College

CORPUS CHRISTI (News Release) - The venue was a full house with representatives from Del Mar College, the DMC Foundation, ArcelorMittal Texas HBI and invited guests celebrating the company’s cumulative “half million-dollar mark” in scholarship donations and other support over the past four years.

On Feb. 15, officials recognized the company for investing in students’ dreams through the ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship, which to date has touched the lives of 93 DMC students majoring in Welding Technology, Process Technology, Industrial Instrumentation or Millwright, all career training fields stipulated in the criteria to receive the scholarship and needed as part of the company’s workforce.

Pictured from left to right are Dr. Mark Escamilla, Del Mar College President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO); DMC Vice President of Advancement and Government Relations Mary McQueen; DMC Board of Regents Chair Carol A. Scott; Welding Technology major Samira “Sam” Marin; Industrial Instrumentation major Patrick Lee; ArcelorMittal Texas HBI CEO Uwe Leopold; Michael Spitz, ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Chief Technical Officer; Industrial Instrumentation major Nicholas Martinez; and DMC Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lenora Keas. (Credit: DMC Digital Services)

Chief Executive Officer Uwe Leopold said prior to the celebration, “ArcelorMittal Texas HBI is proud to announce a cumulative scholarship contribution of $500,000 to Del Mar College. This substantial investment aims to empower the educational aspirations of students in San Patricio County. ArcelorMittal Texas HBIs’ contribution underscores an unwavering dedication to education as we help forge a path toward a brighter future.”

“We understand and respect the responsibility to our community. The degrees the scholarship supports gives Del Mar College students the power to transform their lives,” he noted during the celebration.

The company established the ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship in mid-May 2020 with an initial $75,000 gift to the DMC Foundation. Since then, continued donations have led to a total of $255,000 in scholarship awards.

 And, those scholarships do make a difference.

 Just ask 18-year-old DMC student Samira “Sam” Marin, who received the ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship for the 2023-2024 academic year to continue pursuing her passion––welding.

The Welding Technology major, who completed DMC Dual Credit courses while attending Richard King High School, is now a full-time Del Mar student and will graduate in May.

“Coming out of high school, I was extremely stressed about how I was going to continue my education,” she wrote in response to receiving her ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship award. “But, this scholarship is giving me the opportunity to attend college without the worry of a huge financial burden placed on myself and my family. If I could say anything to my donor, it would be ‘Thank you!’”

And, she did.

During the celebration, Marin addressed her benefactors directly and noted, “I have a professor who constantly asked me at the end of each semester if I was able to continue my training, and I would respond, ‘We’ll see.’ The answer now is my scholarship is allowing me to complete my associate’s degree, and I can’t thank you enough for the help that I and other students have received through our ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship.”

To receive the scholarship, additional selection criteria include students with a minimum 3.0 grade point average and enrolled either full- or part-time (minimum of six credit hours per semester). ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship awards provide selected students with $3,000 per academic year, which can include the fall, spring and summer semesters.

“This is such an amazing investment in the lives of our students,” said Mary McQueen, Vice President of Advancement and Government Relations. “Just as important, many of these students will remain in our community, working at local industry sites and helping build a better life for themselves and their families while growing our local economy.”

Because of the company’s generous investment in Del Mar College students, U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud’s office presented Leopold with a Congressional Certificate of Recognition and an American Flag, which flew over the nation’s Capitol on July 4, 2023, to acknowledge the financial assistance the scholarship provides students who meet its criteria, specifically those from San Patricio County.

Located in Portland, Tx., ArcelorMittal Texas HBI is part of a global company and produces over 2 million tons annually of high quality hot briquetted iron (HBI) as a sophisticated pre-material for the production of steel. The scholarship the DMC Foundation administers supports students majoring in targeted fields who meet the career training requirements the company needs for a sustainable and modernized workforce.

Currently, the DMC Foundation is taking online applications for all scholarships, including the ArcelorMittal Texas Scholarship, through midnight April 30 for the 2024-2025 academic year. For more information and to apply for available scholarships with one application, go online at www.delmar.edu/scholarships.

Scholarship questions? Contact the DMC Foundation at foundation@delmar.edu or 361-698-1317.

And, as for Marin, not only her dream but also her passion are being fulfilled through ArcelorMittal Texas HBI and their generous investment in her and other students through the company’s namesake scholarship at Del Mar College.