The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ awards 100 four-year, $15,000 Opportunity Scholarships to outstanding students graduating from specified school districts within Harris, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller Counties.
Of the 100 scholarships presented, 44 are designated for students from the Houston Independent School District. The remaining 56 awards are presented to students attending any of the participating school districts, including HISD. The criteria for these awards is based on 50 percent financial need, 35 percent academics and 15 percent leadership.
Who is Eligible?
To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, an applicant must meet criteria of citizenship, residence, economic need, academic standing, college/university enrollment plans, leadership and character.
When is the Application Deadline?
Applications are to be received by the Show's scholarship office no later than the date specified on the current year's applications.
Which school districts participate?
Public school districts eligible to participate within the eight-county area are:
Harris County - Aldine, Alief, Channelview, Crosby, Cypress-Fairbanks, Deer Park, Galena Park, Goose Creek, Houston, Huffman, Humble, Katy, Klein, La Porte, North Forest, Pasadena, Sheldon, Spring, Spring Branch, and Tomball.
Brazoria County - Alvin , Angleton, Brazosport, Columbia-Brazoria, Danbury , Pearland and Sweeny.
Chambers County - Anahuac, Barbers Hill and East Chambers.
Fort Bend County - Fort Bend, Lamar Consolidated, Needville and High Island.
Galveston County - Clear Creek, Dickinson, Friendswood, Galveston, High Island, Hitchcock, La Marque, Santa Fe and Texas City.
Liberty County - Cleveland, Dayton, Hardin, Hull-Daisetta, Liberty and Tarkington.
Montgomery County - Conroe, Magnolia, New Caney, Montgomery, Splendora and Willis.
Waller County - Hempstead, Royal and Waller.
Requirements/Criteria
Here is a brief overview of the requirements and criteria to be eligible to apply for an Opportunity Scholarship. Please refer to the official application for complete details.
Citizenship: Applicant must be a citizen of the United States and/or be born in the United States and a resident of the State of Texas. Students with permanent residence status are not eligible.
Residency: The applicant must be a graduating senior or have been a qualified mid-term graduate of one of the accredited participating senior high schools in the school districts listed.
Academic Standing: The applicant must be a graduating senior ranked in the upper one-half of his/her graduating class at the completion of his/her first semester of the senior year or at the time of the applicant's mid-term graduation. Applicant also must have successfully passed the TAKS MASTERY / EXIT LEVEL exam at the time of completion.
College Entrance Examination: No application will be accepted without SAT or ACT scores. Applicants must score a minimum of 1210 on the SAT or 17 on the ACT.
Collegiate Acceptance/Enrollment: Applicant must enroll or plan to enroll in either a college or university in the state of Texas and participate in a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree.
Activities: Leadership potential and character of the applicant should be demonstrated through an applicant's responses to the categories of the application detailing school, extracurricular, and community activities and achievements.
Limit on Other Scholarships/Financial Aid: A recipient of any Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship may not receive $40,000 or more from financial aid or any other scholarships and remain eligible to receive the Show scholarship. Applicants must list all financial aid and scholarships for which they have applied and the status of those awards as part of the application. If selected as a finalist for a Show scholarship, the applicant will be notified and must verify all other financial aid and scholarships received. Other financial aid or scholarships received will be verified by submission of award letters from individual donors and financial aid offices of the college/university the recipient will attend. Funds will not be disbursed without such verification. The scholarship award is not confirmed without such verification. Failure to disclose completely all financial aid and/or other schoalrships will be considered grounds for forfieture of the award.
Narrative: Each applicant must include a typed or handwritten narrative of no more than two 8 ½-inch by 11-inch sheets, double-spaced. The narrative is extremely important, as it takes place of a personal interview. It should address why a college education is important to the applicant and what he/she plans to do for a career. In the narrative, the applicant also should present any information he/she feels the evaluation should pay particular attention to. Applicant's name, address and high school must appear as a heading to the narrative in the upper right hand corner of page one. Applications submitted without a narrative will not be considered.
Photo: Each applicant must furnish a recent bust photograph, no smaller than 2 inches by 3 inches. School photos or 35 mm prints are acceptable. Do not send Polaroid, instant photos, or color photo copies. Photo should be identified with applicant's name.
References: Each applicant may submit up to three letters of personal reference from people other than the school official who certifies application material.
Where Can I Get an Application?
Opportunity Scholarship applications are available from guidance counselors at participating public high schools or by calling the Office of Educational Programs, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, at 832.667.1000. You also can download an application with Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf).
Downloads
The 2009 application will be available in early fall.
