Reliant Stadium has been the site for rodeo, concerts, football and soccer, but on Thursday, May 22, 2003, it was where the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo helped make dreams come true for 305 high school seniors from across the Houston area with more than $3 million in scholarships.
Each young man and young woman received a four-year, $10,000 scholarship from one of three Show scholarship programs Metropolitan, Opportunity and School Art.
Aldine ISD students that won scholarships include from Aldine High School: Harlan David Hansel, Lauren Rachael Mensik, Anna Laura Reyes, Daisy Rios, and Brenda Alejandra Serrato. From Chester W. Nimitz High School: Ranell Rivera Bautista, Cooper Greye Corley, and Amy Guadalupe Perez. From Douglas MacArthur High School: Danilo Chavez, Cristina Rangel Garcia, Cristina Guerrero, Julia M. S. Korrodi, and Stephanie Martinez. From Dwight D. Eisenhower High School: Michael Esemuede Jones, Jessica Denise Pina, and Catherine Mai Tran. And from George Washington Carver: Anastasia Patrice Collier, Christopher Sean Iu and Cynthia Marie Johnson.
The Houston-area community has long supported the Shows educational endeavors, and these scholarship programs were designed specifically to boost the educational opportunities for students in the Shows home community.
The largest of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeos programs, the Metropolitan scholarships are awarded to students in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Wailer counties based on academic achievement, leadership and community involvement.
The Opportunity scholarships are based on academic achievement, leadership and community involvement but also factor in financial need. Nearly 1,200 students from Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Wailer counties applied for the scholarships, and 100 recipients were selected.
In order to be eligible for a School Art scholarship, applicants must have achieved Best of Show, Gold Medal, Special Merit or Gold Star Finalist status at the district level in the Shows School Art Program. These scholarship recipients must demonstrate the same academic achievement and leadership as Metropolitan and Opportunity winners.
In addition to the Metropolitan, Opportunity and School Art scholarships, the Shows educational commitment of more than $7 million annually includes four-year, $10,000 scholarships through the Texas 4-H, FFA and FCCLA programs; Area Go Texan scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $10,000; graduate and doctoral fellowships; endowments; and support of educational programs such as the Rodeo Institute for Teacher ExcellenceTM.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a 501©(3) charity with a mission to benefit youth and support education. Since its beginning with a single scholarship in 1957, the Shows educational program has committed in excess of $92 million to the youth of Texas.
