The Blinn College – Sealy campus recently awarded two Sealy campus students and a Sealy high school student scholarships for use toward classes at Blinn-Sealy.
First-year students Amanda Cowart and Trey Bartholomaus and Sealy High School junior Selest Gonzales were selected to receive funds after submitting a letter of recommendation and a personal statement detailing their educational and professional aspirations. To be eligible, students must not qualify for financial aid.
“We believe in helping students who don’t qualify for federal financial aid, but who still need some assistance to kick start their education,” Sealy campus Director Lisa Caton said. “A lot of students will put college off because of the cost and they wind up missing out. Hopefully these scholarships will continue to bring students to Blinn who otherwise might not be here.”
Blinn was awarded the Sealy Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award in 2013 as the organization that best promoted and supported Sealy and its businesses. The Blinn – Sealy campus offers a variety of academic transfer, workforce training and continuing education classes to fit the need of any student. For information, visit: www.blinn.edu/sealy or call 979-627-7997.
AMANDA COWART
Originally from Sealy, Cowart graduated a year early from Katy High School in 2010. She had intended to take a year off before starting her college career, but one year eventually led to four. She was working at a preschool when she realized what she had to do.
“There really wasn’t much room for advancement and things were not going the way I planned,” Cowart said. “I decided college was the only way I could move up.”
Cowart plans to earn her associate’s degree in business and envisions a career in energy or oil and gas. She was awarded a $2,000 scholarship from Ryan Kirkpatrick, owner of Sealy’s Ryan Ford dealership.
“I am extremely relieved to have this scholarship,” Cowart said.
TREY BARTHOLOMAUS
Bartholomaus graduated from Sealy High School in June and works in his uncle’s machine shop while attending Blinn to complete his core curriculum. He plans to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin or another four-year university.
“This scholarship is really going to help me,” Bartholomaus said of the $1,000 award he received as a result of the “Boots and Blue Jeans” fundraiser held in the Spring. “It would be much more difficult for me to go to school without it.”
Bartholomaus is considering studying mechanical engineering and also has interest in music and sports.
SELEST GONZALES
Gonzales is a junior at Sealy High School enrolled in dual credit courses on Blinn’s Sealy campus. High school students are not eligible for financial aid—a fact that almost deterred Gonzales from enrolling in the program.
“Getting the money was a big issue,” Gonzales said. “Now I don’t have to worry about that and I can accomplish my goals a lot quicker.”
Gonzales was awarded $320 to cover the cost of dual credit tuition. She plans to attend a four-year institution with a goal of becoming a forensic anthropologist. She is considering Texas State University, Texas A&M University and the University of Tennessee.
