A Scholarship to the World

Leland Turner and Noe de la Sancha each had a dream: to overcome the odds and be the first in their families to obtain college degrees. And now, after showing they have the determination to achieve that sought-after education, Turner and de la Sancha are both recipients of the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program award.

Turner will travel to Australia to build on the work he started in his dissertation and de la Sancha will use this opportunity to continue his research in Paraguay, said Jane Bell, director of operations at the International Cultural Center and Fulbright Program Advisor at Texas Tech.

“The Fulbright Program is one of the most prestigious scholarships out there,” Bell said. “We are very proud of both students.”

Turner and Sancha were alternates in the program last year, but didn’t get the award because their chosen countries are some of the most competitive, Bell said. Paraguay in particular only accepts one student each year.

Growing up in the "Tech Ghetto"

Leland Turner is researching the land, environment, people and history of Australia.

Leland Turner is a native of Lubbock. He grew up in a low-income neighborhood near the campus, which he referred to as the “Tech Ghetto.”

“It did not radiate with opportunity nor did it inspire hope in a young heart,” Turner said. “It was simply a forlorn, crime ridden, dilapidated neighborhood wasting away in the shadows of higher education. Just there, not a kilometer away, stood a major research university – a symbol of hope – a way out. As a young child trudging the hot sidewalks between schoolhouse and home, I dreamed of a university education.”

But no one in Turner’s family had ever gone to college. They expected him to find a job and stay within the already-set family routine.

“Education, regrettably, was not a family tradition,” he said.

Turner’s pursuit of his higher education dream was put on hold when he accepted a job offer in 1988. Turner’s family principles and work ethic overruled his drive for education. However this move disappointed Turner and caused him to “abandon any and all business career ambitions and to revisit the dreams of childhood.”

He returned to the classroom in 1999, completing his bachelor’s degree. He enrolled in graduate school at Texas Tech and earned a master’s in history in 2004.

Last summer, Turner traveled to Australia to research its land, environment, people and history. The trip enriched and redirected Turner’s dissertation research and provided a solid base of research for his present project.  His work at Texas Tech is preparation for what he hopes is a meaningful university-level academic career.

Going Outback, Down Under

Turner will return to Australia for 10 months between August 2007 and May 2008 for his post-doctoral work on a research project called “Grassland Frontiers of the Outback and Southwest: Australian and American Cattle Economies, Environment and Enduring Myth.” The majority of his research will be conducted at the Noel Butlin Archive Centre at Australian National University in Canberra and The Fryer Library at Queensland University in Brisbane, Queensland.  However, because his research concerns the semi arid grasslands of Australia, Turner plans to visit several cattle ranches throughout the Outback.

“This award is indicative of the level of academic training provided and level of research encouraged by the Texas Tech community and environment,” Turner said. “All in all, not too bad for a kid who grew up in the ‘Tech Ghetto’ with little hope of a college education much less a career in academia. Quite frankly, in my second career, I have found my first calling.”

Honor Student of the Barrio

Noe de la Sancha is researching small mammals and the effects of humans on the environment in Paraguay.

Noe de la Sancha, a doctoral student in the Department of Biology, was born in Toluca, Mexico, and grew up in Sunland Park, N. M.

“I grew up in one of the worst barrios in the United States,” de la Sancha said. “Looking back, life in Sunland Park was just like a long gangster rap video. I attended one of the worst high schools in the area. The gang problem was one of the worst in the city. Teen pregnancy was a fashion statement.

“Most people who were kicked out of surrounding schools came to ours. Even though I was an honor student, teachers speculated that I wouldn’t make it in college, especially a school out of state. A teacher once took a poll about whether or not I would make it past my first semester.”

De la Sancha took his chances and applied to Northland College in Ashland, Wis., which had a minority enrollment of less than one percent. Despite the odds against him, not only was he accepted, de la Sancha was voted Student Body President his senior year. He graduated with a 3.3 GPA with double bachelor degrees in biology and environmental studies of natural sciences.

De la Sancha has volunteered for biological research in Costa Rica and worked in Kenya in a small elementary school. He is currently in Paraguay conducting research for his doctoral dissertation. His research project is called “Effects of Habitat Fragmentation of Atlantic Forest on Small Mammals of Paraguay.” The Fulbright award will allow him to stay in Paraguay for another year.

“I plan to apply this knowledge to cleaning up the Rio Grande, getting landfills out of Sunland Park and combating environmental racism in Sunland, in Mexico and in Latin America,” de la Sancha said. “I believe there are certain principles, certain ideals worth fighting for: our planet, our health, our life. Not just for humans, but for every species. I really do believe I can make a difference, make a change and leave this place just a little better than when I came.”