Cafe Sabor raises money
Many students feel the university has done so much for them that they feel like doing something in return. Justin Hamilton owner of Café Sabor: is one of those students.
Hamilton is a Utah State University graduate and decided he wanted to help other students to continue their studies. On Thursday, he donated a large portion of the profits from his restaurant to the Multicultural Office as a scholarship fund.
“I graduated from USU a year ago and when I was studying I had an opportunity to work with the Recruitment Office and I realize that there is still a need for scholarship dollars,” Hamilton said. “I noticed that most scholarships are given for 4.0 G.P.A. students but there are a lot of them that want to come to USU but have a job and can’t be as involved in school as the others.”
When Hamilton had the idea for the donation, he called Juan Franco, vice president of student services. Franco put him in contact with the Multicultural Office, Hamilton said, and they’ve been talking about the idea for a couple of months.
Franco said in a press release he approves the idea.
“I’m a firm believer that all students who can benefit from an education should be given the opportunity to get a college degree,” Franco said.
Juan Carlos Vazquez, recruitment specialist of the Admission/Multicultural Office, said though the money is going to be administered by his office, any student from Mountain Crest, Skyview or Logan High School can apply.
“We are still deciding what is going to be the criteria for selection for the scholarship, all we know so far is that the student has to be a Cache County resident and be in financial need,” Vazquez said.
Moises DÃaz, director of the Multicultural Student Services, said he is thankful for the opportunity.
“Justin had the idea and volunteered to help, it was a very kind gesture of him,” he said.
Hamilton said he wants the scholarship to last two years. He said many students get scholarships for their first year and than they can’t go on because of lack of money.
“If we give a two-year scholarship it’s better for the student because after this period they can apply for scholarship in their own colleges or majors,” Hamilton said.
The event was also celebrating the independence of Mexico. To make the night more attractive, the organizers planned performances with live music and typical Mexican dances. A silent auction took place in the restaurant with many items donated by USU institutions, such as a “Desert Cosmos” limited edition print donated by the College of Science and a one night stay at University Inn, were on a table.
Steve Ballard, manager of the restaurant, said in order to make everything faster, people that were sitting on the patio could choose their food among a list of four entrees: Carne Azada Burrito, Pollo Durango, Baja Chicken Pasta and Mexican Shrimp Caesar Salad.
“Since all the activities are planned for the outside, we decided that we wanted the tables to be faster so that more people could participate,” Ballard said.
Many members of the USU community were there to support the event, including Juan Franco and President Kermit L. Hall.
Hall said in a speech during the evening that he is proud Hamilton was a USU student and of what he is doing for the community. Scott Bates, professor of the psychology department, and his wife, Melanie Rodriguez, also from the psychology department, were there to help the fundraising.
“I think it is a great thing what Justin is doing, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Rodriguez said.
Rebeca Torres, undeclared freshman, was there. Torres said she was very excited with the possibility of helping people getting into college.
“I think it is a great idea, I feel like students from multicultural backgrounds need a scholarship for just them,” Torres said.
Hamilton said he is planning to have this event every year on Mexico’s Independence Day. The amount of money raised by the restaurant will be known early this week.
-acanatunes@cc.usu.edu