For More Information:

3900 N McColl Rd.
McAllen, Texas 78501

P.O. Box 3068
McAllen, Texas 78502-3068

Val LaMantia
Board Member

Laura Escamilla
Executive Director

Harlingen, Texas – Stars Scholarship Fund is excited to host our inaugural SheShines Ladies Luncheon on Thursday, February 22, 2024. This is a women centered private event for table sponsors that will include mimosas, refreshments and brunch prior to the guest speaker, Nora McInerny. The moderator for the event will be Senator Morgan LaMantia of Texas Senate District 27.

This event is in addition to our Extravaganzas. Stars Scholarship Fund seeks to further engage with the communities in Cameron County where we currently have 60 scholarship recipients and have awarded over 1,100 students from the area in the last 10 years.  It is our hope to welcome new individuals, organizations and businesses to the Stars Scholarship Fund family of supporters.  

Discussion Topic: Redefining Resilience

Before it became a popular buzzword, resilience was an adjective used to describe goldfish or tires, something that didn’t need much taking care of. Even the dictionary says that resilience is about the “ability to return to the original shape.” Isn’t that a little ridiculous? How can we possibly be expected to return to our original shape when our lives fall apart? Don’t we want to allow ourselves to be altered by disruption, setbacks or change? Isn’t adaptation—a true change—something to celebrate in a rapidly changing world and workplace? Nora McInerny uses stories from her own life and her podcast to introduce a new definition of resilience, one that acknowledges the changes we didn’t choose.

AUTHOR | PODCAST HOST

How are you? Nora McInerny wants to know the truth. As the creator and host of the podcast “Terrible, Thanks For Asking” and the TED speaker known for her viral talk, “We Don’t Move On From Grief, We Move Forward With It,” Nora McInerny specializes in making space for emotional honesty and difficult conversations.

From her bestselling memoirs and essay collections to her pieces in The New York Times, TIME magazine and The Washington Post, Nora’s work regularly touches on topics many would rather not discuss — death, loss, illness, mental health, trauma and change–with disarming wit and earnest candor.

TEXAS SENATE DISTRICT 27

Senator Morgan LaMantia was elected to the Texas Senate in November 2022 to represent the newly drawn Senate District 27, which spans eight counties and runs along the Gulf Coast from the border of Mexico to the Coastal Bend, and includes three ports, a space port, Padre Island, oil and gas industries, wind farms, agricultural farms, and thousands of acres of ranch land.

A Valley native and sixth generation Texan, Senator LaMantia is part of the next generation of leadership in her family business that supports over 1,200 jobs across Texas and beyond. Currently, Senator LaMantia specializes in data analytics and serves as In-House Counsel for L&F Distributors, carrying on the legacy of her grandfather by building opportunities through hard work and giving back to the community.

Today, Senator LaMantia is stepping up to provide the next generation of leadership for South Texas as one of the newest members in the Texas Senate. Her priorities include expanding access to affordable health care, standing by our teachers and public schools, supporting rural communities, and encouraging small businesses through workforce development.

Table sponsorship opportunities available. Each table seats 8 people. Limited individual tickets are available.