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HCC Dental Hygiene student wins Girls Ready to Empower Girls scholarship

Mar 6, 2024

Dental Hygiene student Maren Jensen embraces her HCC Coleman College mentor Kay Jukes. 

Maren Jensen of Katy, Texas, was named the winner of the Girls Ready to Empower Girls scholarship on Feb. 29. The Dental Hygiene student at Houston Community College – Coleman College for Health Sciences will receive $700 for her education.

The Girls Ready to Empower Girls scholarship supports community college females who intend to earn a bachelor’s degree and have a proven history of helping their communities.

Applicants were required to write an essay on a woman who empowered them to pursue their educational and professional goals. Jensen wrote about Kay Jukes, Dental Assisting program director.

“When I returned to college last year, I was in the Dental Assisting program. Ms. Jukes gave me so much encouragement, and she could see my potential. She was the best teacher and mentor,” Jensen said. “Thanks to the confidence I gained, I applied and was accepted into the Dental Hygiene program. After I finish, I’m going to work as a hygienist while I earn my bachelor’s degree here at Coleman.”

“A single role model can open so many doors, and for me, that person was Kay Jukes,” she added.

When she is not studying, Jensen serves as the American Dental Hygienist Association student chapter president and Student Government Association chapter treasurer for HCC Coleman College. As treasurer, she has organized free financial literacy workshops for students this academic year.

Last year, Jensen served as the National Society of Leadership and Success community service chair. She coordinated two projects benefiting Meals on Wheels and Houston Human Society, respectively.

The mother of three also works part time as a barista.

“We can achieve a lot when others believe in us and we believe in ourselves,” Jensen said. “I’m also very grateful to my family and friends who’ve supported me and the people at Coleman who’ve made my college experience great and shaped me into a leader.”