BC scholarship renamed to honor Zuniga | Community Spirit

BAINBRIDGE, GA - News release from Bainbridge College

A Bainbridge College student who was the epitome of a difference-maker -- one who had an attitude that inspired others in the most unlikely of ways -- now has a scholarship named in her honor.

The Debra Zuniga Circle K Excellence in Service Scholarship was unveiled recently at Bainbridge College to honor one of its late students – Debra Sherane Moore Zuniga of Bainbridge who died this past Christmas Day at the age of 56.

As members of the Circle K International Club listened, BC President Richard Carvajal, President of the BC Student Ambassadors Lacy Sellars and Assistant Professor of Sociology Michael Stewart recounted fond memories of Zuniga and relayed how she embodied someone who loved to learn, and someone who wanted not only to improve themselves but who inspired others to improve their lot in life through service to others.

Zuniga wasn’t your typical student. At 51 years old, she enrolled in Bainbridge College. During her tenure as a BC student, she had eight heart catheterizations, two heart attacks, two heart stints inserted and her pacemaker failed, so she had to undergo an operation to replace it.

At one point, she had to be resuscitated by a BC instructor because she stopped breathing. There were a multitude of other challenges that never seemed to deter her from eventually earning four degrees – Associate of Arts in criminal justice, sociology, psychology and foreign languages.

Carvajal said Zuniga was working on a speech that described the medical conditions she had overcome because she wanted to be able to come back to BC and give that speech.

“Not to bring attention to herself. No, that wasn’t Debra at all. She simply wanted to be able to inspire others to let them know they could overcome obstacles and reach any goals they have for themselves, just as she had done,” Carvajal said.

“In the end, Debra showed us all the amazing potential that exists for one person to make a difference. She inspired me and inspired many of you as well.”

Zuniga served as president of the Circle K International and was instrumental in initiating the BC scholarship that is now named in her honor. As Stewart recounted, one of her ideas to help fund the scholarship was a rock-a-thon, where students raised money by sitting in rocking chairs for 12 hours.

“She was inspired to do this after receiving a scholarship herself during the previous semester, so she wanted to essentially and fundamentally pay the scholarship forward,” Stewart said. “I have learned in my life that teachers are everywhere, and they show up in very unexpected places, and Debra was very much a teacher in my life.”

The first recipient of the Debra Zuniga Circle K Excellence in Service Scholarship will be named at the Awards Banquet this spring. If you would like to make a donation toward the Debra Zuniga scholarship, please send it to the Bainbridge College Foundation, P.O. Box 990, Bainbridge, GA 39818.