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KIPP Texas Public Schools is excited to announce that 10 of our Class of 2023 KIPPsters have been named Dell Scholarship recipients! These students are a part of a group who will receive a $20,000 educational scholarship, annual credits for textbooks, a new laptop, and ongoing educational support. Only 500 applicants are selected each year for this prestigious national award, making the Dell Scholarship one of the most competitive scholarships in the country.
This year KIPP Texas Public Schools had 24 Dell Scholarship finalists and 10 recipients. Our recipients include:
Austin
Vanessa Bautista: KIPP Austin Brave High School
Jazmin Martinez: KIPP Austin Brave High School
Andres Ortiz Osorio: KIPP Austin Collegiate
Dallas
Alondria Robertson: KIPP Oak Cliff Academy
Rene Canelo Rodriguez: KIPP Oak Cliff Academy
Houston
Emma Abdalla: KIPP Houston High School
Cledys Hernandez: KIPP Houston High School
Daisy Garcia: KIPP Northeast College Preparatory
Ashley Vazquez: KIPP Connect High School
San Antonio
Oscar Milan: KIPP Somos Collegiate High School
Adolfo Salas: KIPP University Prep High School
College scholarships are one of the best ways to reduce the debt burden associated with pursuing higher education, so KIPP Texas’ KIPP Forward team aims to make sure students are well-versed in the process of applying for them. “As a counseling team, we require our seniors to apply for at least one scholarship per month and it is so rewarding when we see their years of hard work pay off,” says Anthony Salerno, Managing Director of Post Secondary Success at KIPP Texas Public Schools.
The Dell Scholars program is a scholarship and college completion program that nurtures and empowers students on their path to a college degree. Since starting the program in 2004, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has supported 5,000 scholars, including more than 2,000 college graduates. We asked some of our KIPPsters to share what receiving the Dell Scholarship means to them.
“Receiving the scholarship will allow me to concentrate on my education without worrying about the finances or high expenses,” said Cledys Hernandez of KIPP Houston High School.“I won’t feel like a burden to my family due to the cost of college while obtaining my bachelor’s degree so to say, ‘I found a way’ to my mother gives me relief as I achieve something that looks unobtainable at first glance.”
Cledys has plans to attend the University of Houston and major in exercise science to become a sports medicine physician.
“This scholarship means a lot,” Rene Canelo Rodriguez shares. “It has verified to me that I am capable of anything I put my mind into. Me and my family don’t come from much so financially it’s a big step. They are proud of me and the efforts I put into my future.”
Rene’s current top college choice is Texas Woman’s University and he plans to pursue a career in physical therapy.
“My parents decided to immigrate to the United States in search of better opportunities for my siblings and I,” explained KIPP Austin Brave’s Jazmin Martinez. “For this reason, they weren’t able to finish their education. My dad always talked about how he would’ve loved to go to college, and always motivated me to continue my education after high school. Getting the Dell Scholarship means so much to not just me, but to them too! Thanks to Dell, I will pursue a higher education on a full ride, and I will be able to fulfill my parents’ dreams of becoming a first-generation college graduate.”
Jazmin plans to major in media and cultural studies at Macalester College in St.Paul, MN and pursue a career in journalism.
“This scholarship will help me cover my student contribution and give me an extensive network of passionate students that I can lean on,” Daisy Garcia shared. “Since I am a first generation college student, the entire college process is unfamiliar to me and my family, but the Dell Scholars foundation will help me get adjusted to my environment and provide me with resources like a laptop and a Chegg scholarship for books.”
Daisy plans to become a lawyer but also has a passion for mathematics so she intends to major in economics. She is also the recipient of the Questbridge scholarship and will attend Yale University this fall.
For more information about KIPP Texas high schools and to apply, please visit our website.
