‘Howdy, Mavericks!’ State Fair, UTA support students through scholarships
Eleven high school students from the Fair Park area in Dallas will attend The University of Texas at Arlington thanks in part to the State Fair of Texas’ Big Tex Scholarship Program.
The students are recipients of the annual Pete Schenkel Scholarships, named for a past State Fair of Texas chairperson and intended for students from the State Fair’s home neighborhood of Fair Park. High schools in that area include Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, Franklin D. Roosevelt High, James Madison High, Lincoln High, North Dallas High and Woodrow Wilson High.
The 11 students will receive approximately $192,000 in scholarships, financial aid and grants from the State Fair and UT Arlington. Michele Bobadilla, senior associate vice president of outreach and community engagement, said UTA’s partnership with the State Fair provides transformative scholarships that help students gain access to college degrees.
“We are so excited for the substantial resources they are receiving, especially when it involves students with bright futures who have a lot of promise,” said Bobadilla, who is also assistant provost of Hispanic student success at UTA. “These young people are scholars who are very focused on their upcoming plans, and we want to enable them to reach their full potential.”
Llasmin Arce and Ruth Briones both attended Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and will be the first in their families to attend college.
“I felt relieved when I found out I won the scholarship, because it was another step toward having an easier transition to college,” said Briones, who plans to major in biology. “At UTA, I’m looking forward to meeting new people. I’m excited I’ll get to experience college life completely on my own.”
Arce, who plans to study elementary school education at UTA, said she wasn’t sure if she would be able to go to college.
“I’m making all of my parents’ sacrifices worth it, all of their hard work in keeping me and my three younger brothers supported,” Arce said. “I want to show my younger brothers that they can do this too, that there are not too many doors in their way.”
Ugenia Silva, a Franklin D. Roosevelt graduate, said she considers herself an entrepreneur and is interested in the University’s business programs.
“UTA has a great business program and lots of student activities,” she said. “Coming to UTA this fall with these great financial aid opportunities, it’s heartwarming to me that I’m making my family proud and myself proud.”
Despite the cancellation of the 2020 State Fair of Texas—its largest fundraiser of the year—the Big Tex Scholarship Program has still been able to award scholarships to deserving students across the Lone Star State. In its 30-year history, the program has awarded scholarships to more than 2,800 students for a total of more than $14.9 million.
Froswa’ Booker-Drew, vice president of community affairs for the State Fair, said she is pleased to see students from the Fair Park and South Dallas areas attend UT Arlington, where Booker-Drew earned a bachelor’s degree and served as an adjunct assistant professor.
“As an alumna, I am absolutely thrilled that The University of Texas at Arlington has partnered with the State Fair of Texas to provide our 2021 Big Tex Scholars from the South Dallas/Fair Park area a path to pursue their education and join the Maverick family,” said Booker-Drew, who received the Outstanding African American Alumni Award from the Center for African American Studies in 2012. “By teaming up with UTA, we have an even greater impact on each of these students’ lives, and it is our hope that this unprecedented partnership will pave the way for other colleges and universities to consider similar partnerships or scholarship matches with the Big Tex Scholarship Program.”