Bohac Awards College Textbook Scholarships to Five Area Students

HOUSTON - Five college-bound students were awarded the third-annual State Representative Dwayne Bohac Textbook Scholarship this week as they prepare for their first semester this fall. The scholarship has become an annual tradition since Rep. Bohac was elected to the Texas House in 2002.

Amy Dinh (Spring Woods High School), Yasmin Barrera (Northbrook High School), Josiah Cantu (Waltrip High School), Sara Zimmermann (Scarborough High School) and Amanda Potter (Houston Christian High School) were each awarded a $250 scholarship to help pay for their college textbooks as they begin the new school year.

A committee of local leaders was assembled to review the applications received from students from each high school in Rep. Bohac’s district, and while the scholarship committee agreed all of the applicants were deserving, five individuals stood out.

“I am pleased and proud to honor these students with a scholarship award of $250.00 to be used toward the purchase of textbooks,” Bohac said. “I want to thank the parents, teachers, counselors and principals who worked hard to prepare these students for the future.”

In applying for the Dwayne Bohac Textbook Scholarship, students were asked to detail academic progress, including current school transcript information, class rank, SAT or ACT scores and overall grade point average. They were also asked to list extracurricular activities, particularly those that contribute to character development. These activities could include athletic teams, academic clubs, after-school jobs, volunteer work, religious activities and many others. In addition, students were asked to complete an essay of 200 words given the opening line, “I feel the primary political challenge for my generation is…“

Bohac stated that he launched the scholarship program because he remembers how difficult it can be to cover all the unforeseen costs of college, especially the first year.

”When you sit down with your family and draft a budget for tuition, fees and housing, it’s easy to overlook the costs of classroom materials and textbooks, which many times can add up to several hundred dollars per semester,” Bohac said. “Many families struggle to cover these initial costs, and it is my hope that these scholarships will help make the transition to college a little easier for these well-deserving students.”

In addition to the scholarship, Rep. Bohac sent a letter congratulating the students and shared with them the same advice given to previous scholarship recipients.

”It is often said that knowledge is power,” Bohac wrote. “Armed with knowledge and a strong moral compass, one possesses the power to succeed in whatever he or she chooses to do. With the knowledge you have gained in high school and will gain in college, I hope you do as Henry David Thoreau directed and ‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined’.”

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