TAMIU Annual Report 2018

2018 Annual Report / IMPACT Criminal Justice Student: Extending Family Legacy with Scholarship. Sometimes help comes at just the right time…and in just the right place. Rene Alvarado, a sophomore TAMIU Criminal Justice major, wants to be part of a family legacy in law enforcement. Thanks to the generous support he receives from the Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker Endowed Scholarship, he’s going to do just that. Established by Laredo philanthropist Cliffe Killam to honor his mother, Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker, and their family’s legacy of service to the Laredo Police Department, the Scholarship Endowment helps make higher education more accessible to the children of the LPD. Alvarado represents the third generation in his family to pursue a career in law enforcement. His grandfather, father and uncles have all worked for the LPD as officers. The Alexander High School graduate said he applied for the Scholarship after his mother, Sonia Alvarado, read an article about it in the newspaper. “I was very humbled, happy and appreciative when I was notified that I received the Scholarship,” he said, “It motivated me even more to finish college and to have a good attitude towards school. I didn’t like school before, but now that they were giving me an opportunity to go to college, I said, ‘I’m not going to take it for granted.’ ” Alvarado’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and has medical bills to worry about, so he’s thankful for the Scholarship because he is able to pay for his own tuition, books and college expenses. Growing up and watching his father wear a police officer uniform daily piqued his curiosity about a law enforcement career, Alvarado said. “As I grew up and learned more, I wanted to be a police officer and help people,” he said, “Their code is to protect and serve… and always put people first.” Upon graduation, Alvarado said he plans to apply for a job in LPD and eventually pursue a career as a federal law enforcement officer. “As I grew up and learned more, I wanted to be a police officer and help people. Their code is to protect and serve... and always put people first.” - Rene Alvarado ReneAlvarado, center, recipient of the Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker Scholarship, is majoring in Criminal Justice at TAMIU. Pictured with him from left to right are his cousin, Laredo Police Department (LPD) Officer Jose RobertoAlvarado; father, LPD Lt. Rene Rolando Alvarado; uncle, LPD Capt. Benito Alberto Martínez; and uncle, LPD Capt. Gabriel Ernesto Martínez. 4