Presbyterian Pan American School announces 'Pathways Scholarship' for South Texas students
Presbyterian Pan American School is making renovations to its campus, including in its learning center. Flags which represent the many countries and cultures of the students on campus now hang from the ceiling, while the students’ own crosses also hang on the walls and beams of the building. (Photos by Frank Cardenas)
As changes continue to sweep across the campus of Presbyterian Pan American School near Kingsville, leadership with the institution has announced a partnership that will give two South Texas students an opportunity to attend the school.
Dr. Gordon Govens, President and Head of School for Pan Am, and Reverend Ruth-Aimée Belonni-Rosario Govens, Executive Vice President of Pan Am school, released a joint statement about their latest scholarship program for South Texas students.
“Because of the support and generosity of the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation and the King Ranch Family Trust, Presbyterian Pan American School is proud to announce its initiative to award two South Texas underprivileged students three and four year scholarships,” the statement reads. “The students will benefit from a nurturing and safe space that integrates faith and spiritual formation throughout the entire student experience. Students under the Pathways Program will experience life-changing transformation (as) they learn and grow and contribute to the richness of the Pan Am community.”
Reverend Ruth-Aimée Belonni-Rosario Govens stands inside one of the common areas for the Pan Am students. (Photo by Frank Cardenas)
In a recent in-person interview, Dr. Gordon Govens said the scholarship program was made in an effort to include more South Texas students in the international student body of the Pan Am campus.
“When I say we're an international school, that doesn't mean the exclusion of the United States, because historically, the school over the years has had students from the South Texas area and other areas of the United States,” Govens said. “That population has dwindled a little bit, but we've made an active choice to get many more students from South Texas in, too, so that Pan Am can be a better partner in South Texas and in Kingsville to get more students here.”
The Pathways scholarship program is open to underprivileged students in the Kleberg County area; however, Govens said the program is also available to those in Nueces, Cameron, San Patricio, and other surrounding counties in the Coastal Bend area.
Dr. Gordan Govens stands outside the Morris Chapel. (Photo by Frank Cardenas)
Govens added they are seeking students who are willing to board on the campus for the full seven days a week, in order to embrace the “nurturing community” Pan Am has to offer.
“Pan Am strives to prepare these students for college and life, and to return to their communities as leaders to address its challenges with creative solutions rooted in a deep passion for the South Texas community and its people,” the release states. “While at Pan Am, Pathway Scholars will receive hands-on mentoring and college and career counseling within a supportive community and teachers and students.”
Pan Am is currently accepting nominations for the two scholarships for male or female ninth and tenth grade students to enroll for the Fall semester of the 2021-22 school year.
On top of the school’s latest scholarship initiative, renovations are currently underway on the boarding school campus.
The campus is slowly receiving upgrades to multiple buildings, including the boys and girls common areas and dorm rooms, to include new furniture, freshly painted walls and upgraded entertainment for the students.
The staff and students will also benefit from upgrades to the Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the campus, which also includes Wi-Fi in the Morris Chapel.
Among other changes will be repaved pathways on the campus leading between buildings, including the “Walk of Faith” to the chapel on the Pan Am campus.
Dr. and Rev. Govens held hands as they stroll down the “Walk of Faith” on the Pan Am campus. (Photo by Frank Cardenas)
For more on the changes and the slow progress to the upgrades of the school, check out the video below.