Memorial Scholarship

Some lives, though cut short, leave a lasting imprint on the communities they touched. Patrick Wayne Gettings was 23 years old and a student at Miami Dade College's Kendall Campus when he was tragically struck and killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle in 1990. He was the son of Dr. Kathie Sigler, who served the college as Provost for Operations.
 
Patrick was a devoted volunteer at the annual Paella Festival, a beloved campus tradition celebrating Hispanic heritage and culture, returning year after year because he genuinely loved the event and the community it brought together.
 
When the festival came to an end, its proceeds were transformed into a scholarship fund. In 1990, with the support of his family, the Paella Planning Committee renamed the scholarship in Patrick's honor, ensuring that the joy he found in that tradition would live on in the lives of future students. 
 
Today, the Paella/Patrick W. Gettings Scholarship carries forward both a celebration of culture and the memory of a young man who believed in this institution — a student, a volunteer, and a son, remembered through every scholar he helps lift up.