Need Money for College?

Eastex Makes Affording Higher Ed Easier

Story by Jen Calhoun

When Grant Dickson started looking at the costs associated with going to school at Texas A&M University, he knew he’d need some help. “My parents are very loving to provide for me, but they made just enough money that I wasn’t able to receive any financial aid from the government,” says Grant, a 2022 graduate of Elysian Fields High School.

However, a $5,000 scholarship from Eastex provided a good bit of relief during his freshman year, says Grant, now a sophomore studying chemical engineering at A&M. “I was able to support myself with scholarships and work,” he says. “And the Eastex scholarship was the biggest one I’ve gotten so far. It was a big relief not having to worry about rent or buying books, because Eastex covered it for me.”

Community Matters

Eastex started offering scholarships in the spring of 1996, the year after the Texas State Legislature started allowing telephone cooperatives to give back to the community in the form of scholarships, says Malinda Jones, Eastex business operations manager.

Since the program began, the cooperative has awarded more than $4 million in scholarships to high school seniors throughout its coverage region, whether they’re in public, private, parochial, or home schools. Recipients have used the money to attend community colleges, universities, technical schools, and vocational schools. “Eastex is committed to the communities we serve,” Malinda says. “This is just one of the ways we show it.”

In the early years of the program, Eastex awarded up to 30 $2,000 scholarships. Now, it almost always awards 30 scholarships of $5,000.

How it Works

A 10-member scholarship committee — made up of representatives of all 3 of Eastex’s branch offices — reviews the applications and recommends recipients to the board of directors for final approval.

To be considered, applicants are required to submit the application, as well as school transcripts and two sealed letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a teacher, principal or school counselor. Neither of the recommendations can be from a relative. The application also includes an essay.

While the committee members look at GPAs, they also weigh other factors, including the letters of recommendation, the essay, family situations and other considerations. In other words, an applicant doesn’t have to be a straight-A student to be considered.

The first $2,000 of the scholarship funds is disbursed to the recipient prior to the beginning of the semester once the committee receives proof of enrollment. After that, the scholarship recipient is required to maintain full-time status with a GPA of 2.75 or better during the fall semester and submit proof of full-time enrollment for the upcoming spring semester. Once those qualifications have been determined, the committee issues the remaining $3,000 of the scholarship for the spring semester.

Better Together

Johanna Pool Ardoin, a family nurse practitioner, received her Eastex scholarship after graduating from Henderson High School in 2005. “I went to nursing school at Texas Christian University, and oh my goodness, it was so helpful,” she says. “It meant everything. I was very honored and just very proud to be able to help pay my way through school.”

Johanna says she applied for several college scholarships, and she encourages today’s high school seniors to do the same. “It doesn’t hurt anything to do it,” she says. “Anything you’ve accomplished is worth being proud of, and it’s worth the effort to put that into an application. You never know. You could get some extra money!”