For many high school students, what’s on the other side of graduation is a loaded question.
Many ask themselves: “Will I dive straight into a career? Will I go to college? How will I pay for it?”
For others, their goal is simply to be able to consider those questions. Take Omar Mohamed, for example — a 2025 Rodeo scholar and Westside High School graduate, bound for the University of Texas at Austin. His dreams of attending an American university started 7,000 miles away.
“I moved here from Egypt about four years ago,” Mohamed said.
Navigating a whole world of “new” was a challenge Mohamed described as lonely.
“I would come back from soccer practice feeling really overwhelmed, and I really didn’t have someone I could talk to,” he said. “I would go into my Notes app and dump it all out.”
That experience was the driving force behind several next steps for Mohamed, including pursuing a computer science degree and creating his own outlet for support using AI.
“I decided to build a mental health chatbot for students — something they can dump all their feelings into, and it will give you a quote, analyze thoughts and provide feedback,” Mohamed said.
With big goals, his next question became: how?
“I got into UT, and I thought, ‘That’s nice, but I don’t think I can go because I can’t afford it,’” he said.
That answer came through a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship.
“I’m from a low-income family, and as a first-generation Egyptian immigrant, this recognition means more than words can express.”
Mohamed is part of the 49% of first-generation college students among the 2025 Rodeo scholarship recipients — a class of 529 Texas students, the largest the Rodeo has ever awarded.
These students are bound for more than 50 colleges and universities across the state and have chosen 117 different majors.
The Rodeo’s annual scholarship picnic is one moment in time when every hope, dream, scholar, donor and family member fills NRG Center.
This year more than half of the scholarship recipients attended the picnic and spent part of their day meeting the donors who helped make their college dreams come true.
The 2025 class was awarded $10.5 million — a record amount that is part of the Rodeo’s $28 million educational commitment for the year and more than $630 million total since 1932, making the organization one of the largest scholarship providers in the nation.
“Our investment in these students helps to change their lives,” said Chris Boleman, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. “It means so much to them, their families and Houston.”
Up until this moment, most scholars had merely been Rodeo attendees, enjoying the sights and sounds of the annual event — except for Lane Artze, who attended the picnic with his brother, Hank.
The Rodeo has been built on generations of dedication to its mission — and the Artze family is a true reflection of that history.
“The whole legacy aspect of the Rodeo is honestly symbolic of my family, the way I grew up and my ranching heritage,” Lane Artze said.
As a sixth-generation rancher, Artze is continuing his family’s tradition by pursuing a degree in agricultural business at Texas A&M University — following in the footsteps of his grandfather, R.S. Lane, who was awarded a 4-H Rodeo scholarship in 1968.
“It’s really a full-circle moment for me to be receiving a Rodeo scholarship now,” Artze said. “Through my time in FFA, I’ve learned the importance of advocating for the smaller farmer — the 2% that feeds the 100% — just like my grandfather and the people I’m surrounded by.”
Whether it’s computer engineering, agriculture or any major in between, the bright futures of these students are the reason why the Rodeo exists.
“Those of us involved in the Rodeo, particularly the 36,000 volunteers, work so tirelessly to make sure these young people can get their college experience,” Boleman said.
The journey to their futures started when they took the chance to apply for the scholarship, ignited when they received it, and will thrive as they head off for their freshman year — all with smiles, support and a Rodeo family cheering them on the entire way.
To learn more about the Rodeo’s 2025 scholarship commitment, click here.