HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO AWARDS $4.86 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO HOUSTON-AREA STUDENTS

Posted Tuesday, May 20, 2008

In Reliant Stadium, Houston-area youth’s stars shone bright as the real stars of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Students were honored for their academic and community achievements with a scholarship presentation, totaling $4.86 million on Tuesday, May 20, 2008.

A four-year, $15,000 scholarship from one of three Show scholarship programs — Metropolitan, Opportunity and School Art — was awarded to each of the 324 high school seniors to attend a Texas college or university.

The Metropolitan, Opportunity and School Art scholarships are just part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s $15.6 million annual commitment to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence™, School Art participants, and other educational and youth programs. Since the Show’s beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has committed more than $220 million to the youth of Texas.

The Houston metropolitan area has long supported the Show’s educational endeavors, and these scholarship programs were designed specifically to boost the educational opportunities for students in the Show’s home community.

The Metropolitan Scholarships, the largest of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s scholarship programs, are awarded to 209 students in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties, and are based on academic achievement, leadership, community involvement and financial need.

The Opportunity scholarships are based on academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement, with emphasis placed on financial need. One hundred students from Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties were selected.

In order to be eligible for a School Art scholarship, applicants must have competed at the district level in the Show’s School Art Program in 2008. These scholarship recipients must demonstrate the same academic achievement and leadership as Metropolitan and Opportunity recipients. Fifteen School Art scholarships were presented.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is a section 501(c)(3) charity that benefits youth, supports education, and facilitates better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. The 2009 Show will run March 3-22. For more information, visit www.rodeohouston.com.