Students receiving the Smith-Hutson Scholars Award at LU attended their bi-annual banquet to celebrate a semester full of hard work and nine graduates this spring. Of those graduates, many are attending graduate school or moving away to start their careers. It is to no surprise that the Smith-Hutson Scholars are prepared to be successful after graduation.
The Smith-Hutson Scholarship Program was founded at Lamar University in 2012. This scholarship is intended for incoming freshman and transfer students with established financial need and academic potential who are seeking an undergraduate degree. The program considers other scholarships and grants the student may receive along with their guardian’s financial resources and then helps to cover the remaining cost of tuition, books and campus living.
The program has just finished up its ninth year at Lamar University and our donors are more excited than ever to start year 10. Over the nine years that the Smith-Hutson Scholars Program has been at LU, the program has seen more than 100 graduates.
“It’s amazing what four years can do to a student and how you can really turn your life around during that time,” shared Hutson. “LU grads are true reflections of our foundations mission: financial need, motivation, people skills and academic potential. We aren’t just looking at a B.S. or a B.A., we are looking at who will be able to get a job upon graduation. We always ask our committee if the students are hirable after we make our selection.”
The program is welcoming 22 incoming freshman and transfer students across the state for fall 2022. These students went through an application and interview process before being selected by an interview committee that included foundation members, Smith-Hutson Scholars alumni and employees of our Scholarships, Financial Aid and Veteran's Affairs office. This program has provided opportunities for numerous students and more than $6 million to Lamar University over the last 10 years.
Graduates from the Smith-Hutson Scholarship Program for spring 2022 include:
Yulisa Alvarez, Chemical Engineering
Dalton Avery, Computer Science
Braden Barrett, Mechanical Engineering
Madalyn Blackshear, Communications Journalism
Joshua Buse, Psychology
Kayla Contreras, Nursing
Viviana Denova, Business Management
Adrian Espinoza, Mechanical Engineering
Cindy Rodriguez, Civil Engineering