Paying it forward
Since awarding our first $100 scholarship in 1899, the Texas Exes’ scholarship program has become one of the largest alumni association programs in the country. As the association has grown to more than 107,000 members, our efforts in this vital area have expanded enormously. In the 2020-21 academic year, we’ll award over $3.8 million to approximately 694 UT students.
At the Texas Exes, we believe there is no greater tribute to our alma mater than helping the next generation of Longhorns succeed. Scholarship awards unlock opportunities for students of all backgrounds, pay tribute to someone special, and help alumni unite around a wonderful cause. Our hope is that these extraordinary students go on to become caring alumni who stay connected to the university and aspire to give the same life-changing gift to others.
Scholarship Recognition
Named Scholarships
Texas Exes Named Scholarship Recipients
Named Scholarships are the most common type of scholarship at the Texas Exes. Established by loyal alumni, friends, and students of The University of Texas, these scholarships serve as memorials to loved ones, pay tribute to the university, and honor affinity groups.
The Texas Exes administers more than 300 named scholarship funds. Each has its own criteria, according to the wishes of the donor. They can be highly specific or fairly broad. Some are merit-based and some require financial need. Others target students in specific academic disciplines or extracurricular organizations. Some factor in race, leadership qualities, or hometown. The range is truly enormous.
This year, 340 students will receive scholarships totaling $1,155,535 from 230 funds, with three new scholarships awarded for the first time this year.
I look forward to my last year of university, which is a bittersweet realization for me while I am in self-isolation. The years have gone by faster than people said it was going to be, and I am very upset by that. I never thought someone like me, from a border town, would be able to have made it this far. Thank you for helping me in my dreams, goals, and ultimately my future. I greatly appreciate this scholarship, and I will always be grateful for this blessing.
—Catherine Palacios, Andy Bagot Scholarship
I feel that now I genuinely have the freedom to set the bar for my goals high and to work as hard as I can to achieve them. I wish you could have seen my mother when I told her the good news; she was ecstatic! Truly, thank you so much.
—Brian Earle, Eva and Marvin Womack Scholarship
Scholarship Recognition
Chapter & Network Scholarships
Chapter & Network Scholarship Recipients
One of the most tangible ways that alumni stay connected to the university is through participation in their local Texas Exes chapter or affinity network.
Chapters are geographically based groups, both domestic and international, that engage alumni through social, community service, cultural, business networking, student development, and scholarship fundraising events.
Networks are national groups organized around ethnicity, profession, or strong affinity to a UT student organization that engage alumni through events and philanthropy.
There are over 120 domestic chapters, 30 international chapters, and nine networks across the globe. On the whole, 61 chapters and networks will award $515,550 to 285 students this year.
I want to express my immense gratitude through the support I have received, both financially and professionally. I am a first generation civil engineering Latina student. Teachers taught me when I wanted to learn more, friends encouraged me through the application process, this scholarship has provided me with the opportunity to attend college with the most minimum loans possible, and God guarded me through it all.
—Darlenne Quiroga, Houston Chapter
As a first-generation college student, it is important to my family and myself to attend a four-year university and fulfill my dreams of earning a degree. My family owns a small business and with the current Covid-19 situation it has become even harder to understand how this will affect my parent’s income. Scholarships and grants are what is allowing me to move forward with my college dreams.
—Skylar Newton, Baytown Chapter
Chapter Award Recognition
Claire Nevins (2020 recipient) and family with Carroll Bryla and Jamie Morris (Fredericksburg Chapter president).
Cuero Chapter Send Off
Scholarship Recognition
New Scholarships
Awarded for the First Time
Fraser Family Scholarship
Recipient: Anahi Montes
The Fraser Family established this scholarship to honor the longstanding association of the family with the university—a familial legacy of four successive generations spanning over 100 years. The collective family is grateful for the tremendous opportunity of education in Austin at our beloved university. This renewable scholarship is for entering freshmen majoring in engineering, English, or mathematics, with preference for students who indicate an interest in pursuing a medical career, and with a preference for prospective students from the greater Houston area.
Levona W. Olmsted, M.D. & Mary Ann Wallace Endowed Scholarship
Recipient: Felcyia Sani
Elizabeth Teisberg and Scott Wallace established this scholarship in honor of their mothers, Levona W. Olmsted, M.D. and Mary Ann Wallace. This renewable scholarship is to be awarded to deserving disenfranchised students who represent groups that are traditionally underrepresented in medicine and are enrolled at UT’s Dell Medical School.
Thomas and Audrey Pesek Scholarship
Recipient: Humberto Torralba
Life Member Thomas Pesek, B.S. Chemistry ’75 and his wife, Audrey Pesek established this scholarship to help deserving graduates from small, Texas towns pursue their education at The University of Texas at Austin. It is hoped that a degree from the university will serve as a foundation for a successful future for its recipients. This renewable scholarship is for entering freshman from a rural or small Texas town, with a preference for a population of less than 10,000.
Sigma Phi Epsilon Scholarship
Recipients: Crawford McCrary, Joshua Ramos
This scholarship was funded by members of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Texas Alpha Chapter, their families, and friends of the Chapter at the University of Texas at Austin for two distinct scholarships. The scholarships were previously managed by the Sigma Phi Epsilon Education Foundation of Texas Alpha. The first scholarship is in memory of Chris Felker (McCombs ‘84) and Steve Buffkin (Liberal Arts '84), was established in 2012, and recognizes a Sigma Phi Epsilon active member who demonstrates exemplary Leadership, Service, and Brotherhood. The second, known as the JKT Balanced Man Scholarship, is in tribute to John Tyler (1963) for his lifelong service to the Chapter. Awarded annually since 2015, it recognizes a Sigma Phi Epsilon active member who demonstrates exemplary Leadership, Service, and Brotherhood.
In Memoriam
Barbara Koy
Longtime volunteer with Texas Exes Austin Chapter
Kevin Maguire
Pat and Jack Maguire Scholarship
Richard D. Hardin
Hardin Family Scholarship
Yale Smith, Jr.
Fayette County Chapter/Yale Smith, Jr. & Jean Dullnig Smith Scholarship
Bob Roberts
Robert A. Roberts Family Scholarship
Charline McCombs
Charline and Red McCombs Family Forty Acres Scholarship
Louise Bhagat
Senseman Scholarship
