Incoming freshmen and sophomores at LCC who are looking for some help with tuition could be in luck. Valerie Gonzalez-Sanchez explains who qualifies for the T-STEM and USDA scholarships now available at LCC.

"Later on, I would like to go and work at Apple, which would be my dream come true, but I'd really like to work with computers" says Alexis Silva, a T-STEM scholarship recipient excited about her future. That's because Laredo Community College is helping students like Alexis find their future with their new T-STEM & USDA scholarships.

"Through the Department of Resources Development, here at LCC, we have several opportunities available for students that are going to be coming in as freshmen, or students that are already students here at LCC" explains Pablo David Morales, Project Director of the STEM Articulation Grant.

Students interested in science, technology, engineering and math are encouraged to apply for the T-STEM scholarship which awards $2500 to its recipients. For students interested in agriculture, are pre-med, pre-dental or pre-vet, there is a different scholarship that offers $1000. "The second opportunity would be through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those scholarships are about $1000 for the Fall Semester, and that's for the students interested in going into an Agriculture field."

Advisers say there is about 60 programs on the list that qualify for the scholarships. So, it may not hurt to drop by and apply. You may just get that free money. However, students do have to have a declared degree program in order to be considered for the scholarships. If you don't, LCC will help you find whether a STEM or agriculture program is right for you. STEM Academic Advisor Araceli Duran says they're ready to help: "We do have a program called Focus 2, and usually we administer that to students who have come in without having any knowledge as to what program study they want to do."

For Pro8News, Valerie Gonzalez-Sanchez.

LCC says there are a little over 30 scholarships that are currently available. If you'd like to apply, you can stop by their offices at the LCC Downtown Campus, or download your application by visiting www.laredo.edu/stem.