Celebration Honors the Life of NVC Student Tailar Kai Matthews
The 2025 Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to four deserving current NVC students: Holly Cripps, Jackeline Grimaldo, Robert Ortega, and Ghadeer Ramadan.
Tragically passing away in July 2023 in a fatal car accident, Tailar Kai Matthews’ presence was back on campus on May 7 with a scholarship celebration honoring her presence. Dr. Don Lucas and Tailar's mother, Portia Matthews, formed the Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship in the fall of 2023. The Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship is awarded every spring semester on April 23 (World Book and Copyright Day).
Matthews graduated from Northwest Vista College as a psychology major in May of 2018. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2020, and three years later, her master’s degree in social work, both degrees from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Matthews' passion for her academic journey always included being helpful, giving, and being a voracious reader. The Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship honors these three things.
Tailar Matthews’ mother, Portia Matthews, said to the winners, “From this day forward, a part of Tailar is with you on your academic journeys.”
Scholarship winner, Ghadeer Ramadan, who was with her husband and two daughters, said, “I am committed to honoring the legacy of Tailar through hard work and achievement. Thank you again for your generosity. Your support is not only helping me reach my goals but also inspiring me to give back to others in the future.”
Others in attendance at the celebration included NVC President Dr. Amy Bosley, and NVC Social Sciences chair Paul Northway.
“It was heartwarming to see the love and lives Tailar touched during her journey at NVC and at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a journey that now continues through the Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship,” said Northway.
Also, in attendance was UTSA’s Assistant Professor of Social Work, Jelena Todic, and NVC’s Professor of Psychology and Psychology Department coordinator Dr. Don Lucas.
“Being an expert in your content area of specialization certainly is a part of being a good professor,” said Dr. Lucas. “But, by far, the greatest part of being a good professor is disseminating content in a fashion that allows students to grow and flourish from making the content their own. This growth and flourishing creates unique bonds between students and teachers. Some of these bonds are never forgotten. Tailar and I have one of these bonds.”
Scholarship winner, Jackeline Grimaldo, expressed her thanks to those attending the celebration by noting that within a year, she will be among the first to graduate from NVC with a Bachelor of Applied Technology Degree in Cloud Computing, a feat she credited to scholarship opportunities such as the Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship.
Another scholarship winner, Holly Cripps, said she’s graduating next year with an associate degree and majoring in psychology.
“This scholarship is especially meaningful to me because I have always had a deep love for reading — something I know was important to Tailar,” Cripps added. “Books have been my refuge, my inspiration, and my source of knowledge throughout life. It feels incredibly special to receive a scholarship that honors someone who shared that same love for reading. I hope to honor Tailar’s memory by continuing to learn, grow, and give back to my community.”
Representatives of the newly formed nonprofit organization, The Tailar Way Inc. — Mykala Castille, Gladys Cisneros, Joselyne Gonzales, and Lisa Griffin — donated $2,500 to the Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship fund at the ceremony. Sofia Ongay and Molly Wilkes from the Alamo Colleges Foundation officially accepted this generous contribution.
The new scholarship winners are now forever linked to the inscription on the Tailar Kai Matthews Memorial Scholarship plaque in the NVC psychology department that reads:
“The greatest gift you’ll leave behind in this world is your book of life. Fill its pages with unapologetic love, roaring laughter, intentional friendships, and a relentless pursuit of the most incredible adventures imaginable.”
For application details on the scholarship, contact Dr. Lucas at dlucas@alamo.edu.
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