3 New Student Recipients of DMDS Scholarships for Fall 2024-Spring 2028

 

And our first graduate!

 

Updated: June 4, 2024 | 2602 views

We are excited to announce that DMDS added three scholarship students to begin classes in Fall 2024. Out of 250 qualified, low-income applicants from Houston-area high schools, we interviewed 10 finalists and chose three outstanding students. The founders, plus Richard Humphreys and Paul Tepikian, made up the panel.

This year was very challenging, with too many AI written essays and a real financial mess for low income students struggling with the revised (unworkable) FAFSA roll out.

                         

Nathaly Acosta
Texas State
Fine Arts & Communications

            

Michael Martinez Lino
UT Austin
Radio/TV/Film

            

Jacob Pineda
UT Austin
Mechanical Engineering

 

All three of the awardees are very active and successful students. Jacob’s physics teacher at Westbury High School mused that the teaching profession was really worth it when you had a student like Jacob. Jacob’s parents live in Guatemala, but he came here at age 10 to live with his aunt and uncle and pursue a better education. Nathaly’s Dance Director at Alief Taylor High School says Nathaly is the best student she ever taught. She says Nathaly never misses practice and even scheduled her dental surgery over spring break. Michael’s AP Geography teacher at Energy Institute High School describes him as a fighter and very determined to do well. Even a house fire that destroyed everything he owned didn’t set him back.

Congratulations to our first college graduate:

It is hard to believe that our first scholarship student has graduated from college.

Deysi Davila earned a BS in Business Administration at the University of Houston with a double major in Finance and Marketing. She has a summer internship lined up at New Capital Management in Houston.

 

The Fund is seeking donors who support the power of higher education. To become involved, please contact colleen@dmdsscholarship.org or visit https://www.dmdsscholarship.org/support-us.

 

ABOUT THE DOUG MILLER & DON SANDERS FUND

The Doug Miller & Don Sanders Scholarship fund provides Texas high school graduates the lifetime opportunity of advanced education free from financial worries or a lifetime of debt. Recipients are granted four-years of tuition, living expenses, and a semester abroad. For more information, please visit https://www.dmdsscholarship.org.