Tonight, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials welcomed 423 Texas high school students to NRG Park for a special scholarship presentation in which students walked away with a total of $8.4 million from the Rodeo’s 2018 educational commitment.
“Tonight’s banquet is the culmination of the efforts of more than 34,000 dedicated volunteers and staff, combined with the support of generous donors, sponsors and community members who came out to enjoy the 2018 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,” said Joel Cowley, Rodeo president and CEO. “Education is very important to our organization and we are extremely proud to support these college-bound Texans with a total of $8.4 million in scholarships.”
Nearly half of the students who received a scholarship tonight will be the first in their family to attend college, 62 percent are female and 38 percent are male. These scholars will be attending 35 different Texas universities and colleges and will major in 91 different fields of study with the top five chosen majors being Engineering, Biology, Business, Biochemistry and Nursing.
The 423 students recognized tonight represented seven of the Rodeo’s scholarship programs, including Exhibitor, Hildebrand, Metropolitan, Military, Opportunity, School Art and Technical. All 418 scholarship recipients pursuing an undergraduate degree received a $20,000 scholarship, payable over four years. In addition, the five scholarship recipients pursuing a technical degree received a $9,000 scholarship, payable over two years, for a total scholarship commitment of $8,405,000. View the complete list of scholarship recipients here.
These scholarships represent a portion of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s annual commitment of more than $26 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, School Art participants and other educational programs. Learn more about the Rodeo’s commitment to education here: rodeohouston.com/Educational-Support/Commitment.