Rodeo Awards $8.4 Million in Scholarships

HOUSTON, TX -- This evening, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials presented 420 deserving Texas students with $8.4 million in scholarships during the annual Scholarship Banquet, held at NRG Center.

“As a result of the tremendous support received from our volunteers, staff, donors, auction buyers, sponsors and attendees, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is incredibly proud to reward a remarkable group of scholars as they strive to achieve their educational goals,” said Joel Cowley, Rodeo president and CEO. “We are confident that this investment in their future will be returned to our community many times over.”

Of the 420 scholarship recipients, 67% are female and 33% are male, while nearly half will be the first in their family to attend college. These students will be attending 40 different Texas universities and colleges, majoring in 107 different fields of study. The top three schools these students will attend are Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston, and the top three chosen majors are Biology, Nursing and Mechanical Engineering.

The students recognized at tonight’s event represented five of the Rodeo’s scholarship programs, Houston Area, Exhibitor, Hildebrand, School Art and Military; 350 received scholarships from the Houston Area program, 30 from the Exhibitor program, 20 from the Hildebrand program, 15 from the School Art program and 5 from the Military program. Each student received $20,000 to apply toward a four-year undergraduate degree, for a total scholarship commitment of $8.4 million.

These scholarships represent a share of the Rodeo’s annual commitment to Texas youth and education. In 2019, more than $27.17 million will be distributed via scholarships, junior show exhibitors, educational program grants and graduate assistantships. Additional information about the Rodeo’s educational commitments can be found here: rodeohouston.com/Educational-Support/Commitment.