Meet our Scholarship Award Recipients
Apply for YOUR Chance to Win!
Leigh Olsen '22
Leigh is a freshman Business Honors and Marketing major. During her time at VHS, Leigh served as the President of Key Club and the Co-Coordinator of Relay for Life, among other extracurricular activities.
At Texas A&M, Leigh is involved in Business Student Council (BSC), Freshmen Leaders Establishing eXcellence (FLEX), and RYLLIES. In BSC, Leigh has served as a member of the Marketing Committee, creating digital and print advertisements for events at Mays Business School. In FLEX, Leigh is a member of the Service Committee, where she has helped coordinate activities benefitting service organizations on and off campus, especially those assisting custodial and janitorial staff. As a member of RYLLIES, Leigh volunteers for Read by 3rd alongside a sisterhood of other Texas A&M students. She also works as Student Assistant to the Dean, copyediting and updating Dr. Griffin's textbook. More recently, she took on the Business Honors Trip Coordinator role.
Next year, Leigh will continue her coursework at Mays Business School. She hopes to study abroad in Europe in the near future to gain credits toward an International Business Certificate.
Leigh Olsen '26 Texas A&M
Cecilia Reis '18
Lt. Matthew Vandegrift Mays Business School Honors Scholarship Winner
Paxon Porter '20
Lt. Matthew Vandegrift Memorial Corps of Cadets Scholarship Winner
Paxon will be attending Texas A&M University on an Air Force ROTC scholarship. He intends to study Chemical Engineering. He will also be joining the Corps of Cadets and marching with the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. Upon graduation, he will be be commissioned as an officer in the USAF and hopes to pursue a career in aviation.
Paxon Porter '24 Texas A&M
Zach Collmann '14
Lt. Matthew Vandegrift Mays Business School Scholarship Winner
Zach Collmann is a senior Business Honors and Marketing double major at Texas A&M University. He grew up in Steiner Ranch and graduated from Vandegrift High School in 2014.
"The reason I chose to join the Texas A&M family was the sense of community and family that I felt when I toured the campus, attended TAMU events, and met other Aggies. In the spring of my senior year of high school, I attended a Business Honors congratulatory event where I received my scholarship from the director of the program. I understood this was a great honor at the time, but it wasn’t until Valor Day when I had the chance to meet Mr. and Mrs. Vandegrift that I really began to understand the significance of this scholarship. I had my doubts entering college about maintaining my scholarship and my ability to live up to Matthew’s legacy. However, I simply buckled down and continued to work. As the semesters blew by, I realized that my continued work ethic was exactly how Matthew was able to attain his scholastic success in college and my academic achievements were a reflection upon Matthew’s legacy. I am very proud and honored to live up to his outstanding performance in the Business Honors with my own success. I am now in the process of applying to full-time positions in sales and marketing and to graduate programs in MIS and Business Analytics. Wherever I end up after my undergraduate studies, I will take my lessons learned from my experience as a Vandegrift scholar and do my best to live up to the standard of excellence that Matthew held."
Zach Collmann '18 Texas A&M
Kyle Barth '14
Lt. Matthew Vandegrift Memorial Corps of Cadets Scholarship Winner
Kyle Barth '18 is a 2014 graduate of Vandegrift High School and is a senior Accounting major in the Mays Business School Professional Program in Accounting. He is a proud member of the Corps of Cadets and Squadron 2, otherwise known as Gator 2. Kyle has the privilege of serving as the Commander of the Ross Volunteer Company for the 2017-2018 school year. Outside of the Corps, Kyle has been heavily involved in organizations such as Fish Camp, the Memorial Student Center, and One Army -- Texas Aggie Men United. Kyle is a 2017 recipient of the Buck Weirus Spirit Award and a Texas A&M Foundation Southerland Aggie Leader Scholar.
"My understanding of our high school's connection to Texas A&M was little-to-none as I entered college; once I began to connect the dots, my love for our university was deepened to a much greater degree. This scholarship allows me to continue to chase dreams and give my entire being to everything I am a part of at this special place. It is an incredible honor to not only be a recipient of this scholarship, but to have attended the school named after Matthew. Following his legacy has made my A&M experience even more monumental."
Kyle Barth '18 Texas A&M
Commander, 2017-2018
Ross Volunteer Company
Who Will be our Next Winner?
Who will be our next scholarship winner? Apply now for your chance to win a four year scholarship to Texas A&M University!