CITGO Awards Scholarships to Corpus Christi Students Poised to Become First-Generation College Graduates

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – June 9, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Fifteen college-bound students attending high schools in the Corpus Christi Independent School District (CCISD) were awarded the CITGO First in Family Scholarship, thanks to support from CITGO Petroleum Corporation and the Corpus Christi Education Fund (CCEF). 

Since 2012, graduating high school seniors in Corpus Christi on track to become the first in their immediate families to attend a college, four-year university or vocational training program have been awarded with this scholarship. CITGO has supported the scholarship fund since its inception as part of its mission to provide students with the resources to be successful in their academic and professional endeavors. This year’s honorees, as well as their families and past scholarship recipients, were recognized at an awards banquet. 

“The CITGO First in Family Scholarship recognizes hardworking students who have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement and will be the first in their families to receive a High School Diploma,” said Dr. Roland Hernandez, CCISD superintendent. “Because of the CITGO commitment to encouraging students, 75 students have had the opportunity to receive $1,000 scholarships since the program first began.” 

CITGO strives to give back to the communities in which it operates and believes in the importance of a strong educational foundation to help students reach their full potential. In addition to the First in Family Scholarship, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery partners with educational programs throughout the region, including the highly ranked Foy H. Moody High School CITGO Innovation Academy for Engineering, Environmental & Marine Science. From leading environmental stewardship workshops to sponsoring school robotics teams, CITGO promotes interactive educational programs that encourage students to explore fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In 2015, CITGO brought educators from Texas, as well as Illinois and Louisiana, aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus with the Ocean Exploration Trust to give them first-hand deep-sea exploration research and educational experience that they then delivered back to their classrooms.

“At CITGO, we are committed to active participation in our communities, and helping students achieve academic greatness is at the cornerstone of that involvement,” said CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery Vice President and General Manager Art Klein. “In particular, we support local organizations that equip students for real-world challenges in sought-after careers, such as opportunities in the sciences. We are very proud of this year’s class of First in Family students and look forward to learning of their continued success.”

For more information about the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery’s community involvement, please visit www.citgo.com/SocialResponsibility/Community.jsp.

About CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery
The CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, which celebrated 80 years of operations in 2015, provides more than 1,000 jobs locally, while generating more than $345 million per year in support of the local economy through salaries, services and taxes. In addition to producing high-quality fuels for its network of nearly 5,500 independently owned and operated CITGO branded stations across the country, Corpus Christi refinery employees make a major positive impact on the community. In 2015 alone, CITGO employees in Corpus Christi volunteered more than 2,900 hours of their personal time to local and national charities. Since 2013, the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery and its employees have provided more than 10,000 volunteer hours and approximately $3.3 in support of community organizations such as United Way, Charlie's Place, Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Miracle League, Catholic Charities, the Special Olympics and a variety of environmental and preservation initiatives, such as the revitalization of the Gateway to Corpus Christi, Hans and Pat Suter Park and Adopt-A-Beach Clean Up. The 80th anniversary of the Corpus Christi Refinery last year was preceded by the 70th anniversary of the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery in 2014 and is being followed by the 90th anniversary of the CITGO Lemont Refinery in 2016, with CITGO facilities marking three significant milestones in three consecutive years. For more information on the CITGO Corpus Christi Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/corpus-christi.

About CITGO
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.