2021 PBKAAGA Scholarship Winners
PBKAAGA was pleased to present nine 2021 scholarship to eight high school seniors in 2021. These students were awarded scholarships to attend the college of their choice. We were privileged to collaborate with Breakthrough Central Texas to identify these students, the first generation in their families to have a college experience, and to work with the Luke Family to fund the high school scholarships.
In addition, PBKAAGA has awarded a scholarship to a current college student, to enable him to continue his college experience.
Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Helen Nguyen
Helen is a graduate from Manor New Technology High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin as a business major in the McCombs School of Business. She has been actively involved in extracurriculars to support the student body, leading as the Key Club President, Student Council Secretary, and yearbook Editor-in-Chief. A very competitive person, she played for the varsity volleyball team as libero and was the tennis captain for all four years. During her free time, she enjoys traveling and practicing her photography skills. After college, she plans to pursue a career in business and health administration, aspiring to become the CEO of a nonprofit healthcare organization.
PBKAAGA Luke Family Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
and
Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Victoria Uriostegui
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, graduating top 6% of her class at KIPP Austin Collegiate, Victoria will continue her post-secondary education at the University of Texas at Austin entering as a Communication and Leadership major at Moody College. Through her participation in various nonprofits and leadership positions in school, she strives to become a nonprofit organization leader to empower youth minorities like she was empowered. Breakthrough Central Texas was one of the first programs to enlighten her about the reality of her identity as a first-generation student and through the program she has expanded her skill sets and met significant mentors who have supported her more than she could ever imagine. Her motivation and achievements stem from being the first child of supportive immigrant parents and aiming to set a high bar for her younger siblings to follow.
Phi Beta Kappa Physicians Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Angelie Vera-Chong
Angelie is graduating from Manor Early College High School, and she will also be receiving an associate degree. She will be attending The University of Texas at Austin and pursue nursing as her field of study. Angelie has been part of the Breakthrough Central Texas program for about five years and has developed a new set of skills that have helped her build up her character to reach her goals. Throughout high school, she has volunteered for different events and organizations. One of her favorite events was her contribution to the H-E-B Feast of Sharing in which she helped serve holiday meals to families, as well as the local homeless community. She enjoys being outdoors and having a great time with her loved ones. In the future, she plans to complete nursing school and pursue a master’s degree where she would like to become a pediatric nurse.
Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Aldo Ruiz Parra
Aldo is a senior graduating from KIPP Austin Collegiate. Born in Mexico but raised in the outskirts of Austin, Aldo is the first in his family to attend college, pursuing his future endeavors at Pomona College. As the oldest of three in his family, Aldo hopes to set the example for his family and generations to come. In school, Aldo is Co-President of the Science National Honor Society and is involved with his school’s robotics team and National Honor Society. Through his activities, Aldo found a passion in the field of technology, hoping to major in Computer Science in the future. As an immigrant himself, Aldo hopes to one day give back to his community by helping other immigrants and people coming from his background pursue a similar career as him in technology.
PBKAAGA Luke Family Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Allyson Chaplin
Allyson Chaplin graduated from McCallum High School and will be attending Sam Houston State University as a criminal justice major. In high school, she was a volleyball manager and a vocal studies major. When not working two jobs (or three during the summer) to pay for college, Allyson loves spending time with friends, traveling with her family, learning a new instrument, or sewing a new skirt or shirt. As a criminal justice major, she hopes to learn more about how to investigate and solve crimes, connect with victims, understand why crimes happen, as well as learn why criminals commit crimes and how to prevent them. In the future, her dream is to go into the FBI as a special agent after graduation. She credits Breakthrough with helping her to discover Sam Houston State University and her love for criminal justice. Allyson plans to give it her all in college to show her younger sister that hard work pays off tremendously and to follow her dreams.
PBKAAGA Luke Family Scholarship for Academic Excellence- $2500
Melissa Jahen
Melissa Jahen is a graduate from Navarro Early College High School (previously known as Lanier ECHS). In her four high school years, Melissa has achieved and grown an incredible amount with the death of her father; balancing golf, girls soccer, cross country, and color guard; and staying on top of her courses both in high school and at ACC. Melissa’s next steps are to move to Wichita Falls to attend Midwestern State University and major in biology. She plans to pursue the STEM curriculum and study in the department of biomedicine while making her parents proud. Melissa Is the first of her siblings to attend college. This is an incredibly big step, and she is honored and immensely grateful to have the help of PBKAAGA and the Luke Family.
PBKAAGA Luke Family Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Kamryn Wooten
Kamryn completed her studies at Manor Early College High School and graduated with an Associate degree from Austin Community College. However, her high school journey presented some rather unusual challenges. Throughout those four years of schooling, Kamryn had to persevere through multiple surgeries and the effects of a facial tumor. This was an unfortunate ordeal, but without it she never would have had a first-class seat to a profession that seemed almost unreachable. As an aspiring surgeon, Kamryn will be attending Texas A&M University as a biomedical sciences major. This is an extremely demanding and rigorous major, so it truly is a blessing to have less of a financial burden. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and the piano, and has a deep love for art and gaming.
PBKAAGA Luke Family Scholarship for Academic Excellence - $2500
Fernanda Pombo
Fernanda Pombo is a graduate of Harmony Science Academy and will be attending St. Edward’s University in the fall. In high school she was involved in Spanish Club and in events for the Latinx community like the Quinceanera Fashion Show. Fernanda plans to major in Social Work, and her goal after college is to work with children in need.
Fernanda is a huge horror movie fan, likes to explore new things, and loves to spend time with her family and friends. She is diagnosed with autism and has worked hard to achieve her education. She is so excited to start college in the fall!
Philip F. Patman Memorial Baccalaureate Scholarship
Derek Hausman $2000
Derek is a Geography Resources and Environmental Studies major at Texas State University, where he is focusing on water systems and water resources. Derek spent five years as a residential arborist, working in every facet of the business from tree crew, to sales arborist, to plant health care technician. Derek’s passion for streams and stream systems has led him to pursue a degree that will allow him to focus his efforts on human- environment interactions and watershed management.
During his time at Texas State Derek has taken part in a bathymetry study of the Upper San Marcos River to monitor recreation impact on the river, as well as a study to quantify stream connectivity and fragmentation in the Upper Guadalupe River watershed. Opportunities like these, working towards a purpose driven career, are the reasons that Derek went back to school at the age of thirty.
In his free time, Derek enjoys anything outdoors with his wife and dog. From hiking, kayaking, and fishing, to birding, and just sitting on the riverbank and taking it all in. He knows he is fortunate to have the opportunity to go back to school and pursue a higher level of education. He is grateful to his wife, Lindsay, for agreeing to uproot their lives in Austin and move south down I-35 so that he can pursue his dreams. Lastly, he is grateful to the PBKAAGA for their generosity which will help him continue his education.
