Vanessa Chavez Jurado is one of the 2,200 Mavericks who will "always be a Goodricher." Photo by Geoff Johnson.
Always a Goodricher
by Susan Houston Klaus
From the moment Vanessa Chavez Jurado speaks, you can tell she’s a force of nature and filled with bubbly enthusiasm about her plans for the future.
Chavez Jurado has found her voice at UNO thanks to the Goodrich Scholarship Program. A first-generation student and a daughter of Mexican immigrants who value education, she knew she wanted to go to college and that she would have her parents’ blessing.
“But I knew I didn’t want that to be a burden financially,” she said.
When the right amount of financial support came in the form of the Goodrich program, she was quick to accept.
In the Goodrich program, Chavez Jurado found not only tuition support but also a community that supported her dreams.
Founded in 1972, the Goodrich program has helped about 2,200 students to date create a path to success.
Fifty years ago, it was an innovative concept created to address the inequities in access to education and to give Nebraska residents with financial needs from all backgrounds and locations the opportunity to broaden their horizons.
“It was kind of a sociological educational experiment,” said Troy Romero, Ph.D., chair of the program. “We were a learning community before the term was even invented.”
Since then, the program has received honors both locally and nationally and has served as a model for other programs.
All Goodrich scholars must demonstrate financial need and academic merit, which creates a diverse student body. About 76% of Goodrich students are first-generation, 81% of students in the most recent cohort are people of color and the students come from all over the state of Nebraska.
The program provides tuition and general fees for those who are selected — this year’s cohort totals 60 students. The program also provides a two-year general education curriculum focused on humanities and social sciences, taught by Goodrich faculty and supported by Goodrich staff.
“It really is meant to be a bridge to help them acclimate to getting to know other people on campus, getting to know their own skill sets,” said Romero.
For Chavez Jurado, the classes “were really engaging and really encouraged us to think about different topics, social issues from different perspectives.”
Chavez Jurado said she recognized early on in her time in the program that it was much more than the scholarship funds.
“I know for a fact I wouldn’t be where I am today without the community that Goodrich has,” she said. As her confidence grew, she sought out opportunities that would serve as a foundation for her future.
“The support and resources provided in Goodrich help people grow and really build leaders in our community,” said Chavez Jurado. “If we can do this much on our campus, what’s not to say we’re going to do just as much or even better once we’re out in the community.”
Today, she’s a proud alumna, working as an elementary school Spanish teacher in Millard Public Schools. She plans to earn a master’s degree in public policy and aspires to work in Washington, D.C. as the U.S. Secretary of Education. The support she received from the Goodrich program has given her the motivation to keep her eye on that goal.
Everything she gained through the Goodrich program, she said, will stick with her, and she knows the community will always have her back.
“Once you’re a Goodricher, you’re always a Goodricher.”
To learn more about the 50-year history of the Goodrich program, visit unogoodrich50.com.