Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation Awards First 100 Charles Butt Scholarships for Aspiring Teachers

The inaugural cohort was chosen from a pool of 350 candidates through a competitive selection process, which included a written application, interviews, group activities, and a demonstration teaching lesson. All scholars are committed to teaching in high-needs Texas public schools or in hard-to-fill subject areas. They will receive an $8,000 scholarship each year, as well as ongoing training, mentorship, and networking opportunities facilitated by the Foundation.

“Teaching is one of society’s most important professions and strong teachers are critical to the future of Texas,” said Charles Butt, founder of Raise Your Hand Texas and the Holdsworth Center, and chairman and CEO of H-E-B. “I am thrilled to welcome this first cohort of Charles Butt Scholars and believe this initiative is an important first step in encouraging our best and brightest to consider a career as a teacher.”

The scholarship is part of the Raising Texas Teachers initiative, a 10-year, $50 million project designed to support university-based teacher preparation programs in addressing the needs of 21st century students, elevate the status of the teaching profession, and inspire top students to pursue teaching.

“Texas’ future depends on our ability to deliver a high-quality education to all students and this critical work begins with an effective teacher in every classroom,” said Shari Albright, President of the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation. ”Raising Texas Teachers will ensure some of our most promising future teachers receive the rigorous classroom training and support they need to effectively serve our students and our state.”

This year’s scholarships were awarded to students attending, or planning to attend, one of 10 partner universities selected by Raise Your Hand for their commitment to rigorous teacher preparation. Over time, the scholarship program will grow to include at least 500 scholars annually and expand to include leadership development opportunities for the state’s top high school students interested in a career in education.

For more, visit: RaisingTexasTeachers.org.

Our Lady of the Lake University

• Lilizareth Norena
• Kimberlee Flores
• Alexandria Moreno
• Valarie Cervantes
• Shakira Sandoval
• Dezarae Mata

Rice University

• Rachel Omerza
• Steffannie Alter
• Heather Schweikhardt
• Christen Smajstrla
• Ashley McDonald

Southern Methodist University

• Grace McClure
• Blake Buckley
• Emily Zhang

University of Texas- Rio Grande Valley

• Clarissa Guerra
• Raquel Perez
• Cristina Ortiz
• Kasandra Salinas
• Brenda Olvera
• Jimena Gamboa
• Clarissa Rodriguez

Texas Tech University

• Lillian Corrigan
• Jacklynn Prewitt
• Heather Egan
• Chloe Bass
• Ashley Darnell
• Vanessa Garcia
• Eilidh McKay
• Jose Parra Azanza
• Kathryn Cude
• Michelle Henderson
• Taylor McWilliams
• Claire Hukill

Texas A&M University

• Kathryn Wolf
• Bekah Howard
• Savannah Gibson
• Hope Harrod
• Anna Fedewa
• Abigail Gwosdz
• Byrklin Quisenberry
• McKenna Mohr
• Macy Melton
• Amy Whelchel

Trinity University

• Brittney Ivanov
• Jessica Phillips
• Lindsey Burton
• Mollie Hughes
• Claudia Garcia
• Andrea Martinez-Abrego
• Margaret Chase
• Jacob Connerly
• Sarah Lane

University of North Texas- Dallas

• Linda Rodriguez
• C’Sherica Shaw
• Marisol Reyna
• Ashley Patino
• Janeth Villa
• Lizbeth Nava
• Mariela Rodriguez
• Imelda Gonzalez
• Kimberly Mares
• Cecilia Montoya

University of Houston

• Mayte Rodriguez
• Esther Lacayo
• Alessandra Napieralski
• Taylor Jackson
• Alexa Santos Coy
• Brenda Sanchez
• Megan Proulx
• Christine Oakes
• Daisy Vaquera
• Phuong-Trinh Tao-Pham
• Alyssa Ramirez
• Hannah Chang
• Kenia Reyes
• Minh Nguyen
• Alejandrina Martinez
• Fernanda Marrero

University of Texas – Austin

• Mia Trautz
• Nohemi Cepeda
• Cristina Puente
• Fidel Aguilar
• Lorena Gantiva
• Valerie Barboza
• Brianna Flores
• Marco Hernandez
• Jean Feeser
• Ngan Luu
• Carson Robertson
• Garrett Mott
• Javier Abrego
• Uriel Iglesias
• Rebecca Watson
• Bailey Glenn
• Katherine Allison
• Hannah Nguyen
• Gabriela Coelho
• Trey Fisher
• Meghan French
• Juliet Goodfellow

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ABOUT RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS FOUNDATION

The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports programmatic initiatives structured to identify, pilot, and scale systemic improvements in public education.

Visit RaiseYourHandTexas.org to learn more.

Connect with us on Facebook: /RaiseYourHandTexas
Connect with us on Twitter: @RYHTexas

Contact:

Petri Darby – VP of Marketing
pdarby@ryht.org or (512) 617-2137