By: Kat Aoyama, PhD, TSHF Scholarship Awards Chair

The mission of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (TSHF) is to improve the lives of people with communication disorders by supporting research, education, and service endeavors on their behalf. TSHF was established in 1985, and has grown significantly since then. Scholarships are awarded to graduate students in audiology and speech-language pathology from almost every program in Texas. See below for a list of the Foundation’s current scholarship endowment funds and this year’s recipient(s) of each award. 

• Jon Ashby Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Abilene Christian University. The 2023 recipient was Elena Victoria Mendoza. 

• Madeline Brand Scholarship: Awarded on a rotating basis to a student attending the University of Texas-El Pasoor New Mexico State University. The 2023 recipient was Luis Diaz from The University of Texas-El Paso. 

• Braniff Clipped B’s Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending The University of Texas at Dallas. The 2023 recipient was Ashton McClain. 

• Jeanne Braniff-Terrell Scholarship: Awarded on a rotating basis to a student attending one of the four north Texas universities: Texas Christian University, Texas Woman’s University, The University of Texas at Dallas, or University of North Texas. The 2023 recipients were Shir Gamliel and Josette Bowe from The University ofTexas at Dallas. 

• Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Our Lady of the Lake University. The 2023 recipient was Catherine Monika Predki. 

• Donna Russell Fox Scholarship: Awarded to a doctoral student at any accredited university in the U.S. The 2023 recipient was Zeth Collom from Texas Tech University Health Sciences 

• Gardner Gateley Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Baylor University. The 2023 recipient was Paige Tabor. 

• Gilbert C. Hanke Endowed Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Stephen F. Austin State University who demonstrates leadership responsibilities in the local chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) and who volunteers to serve in TSHA or the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The 2023 recipient was Jazmon Alexander. 

• Sara Haynes Scholarship: Awarded to a graduate student in an accredited program in speech-language pathology in the state of Texas who demonstrates dedication to clinical intervention for adults with neurogenic communication disorders. The 2023 recipient was Lindsey Moeller from the University of North Texas. 

• Larry Higdon Doctorate of Audiology Scholarship: Awarded to a student enrolled in any doctorate of audiology program in Texas. The 2023 recipient is Danielle Clay from Lamar University. 

• Houston Association for Communication Disorders (HACD) Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending the University of Houston or Texas Woman’s University distance program. The 2023 recipient was Cassie Ryan from Texas Woman’s University. 

• Judith Keller Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The 2023 recipient was Cassandra Hicks. 

• Anne Mauzy Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending The University of Texas at Austin who wants a career in public schools, preferably in early childhood education. The 2023 recipient was Rachel Jayna Rubinstein. 

• Grace Middleton Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending The University of Texas at El Paso. The 2023 recipient was Bianca Guerra. 

• San Antonio Speech, Hearing, and Language Association (SASHLA) Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Our Lady of the Lake University. The 2023 recipient was Alyssa Ramirez.

• Sherry Sancibrian Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The 2023 recipient was Shayli Holly.

• Sondra’s Money Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The 2023 recipient was Oleksandr S. Zhalkovskyi.

• Elnita O. Stanley Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Stephen F. Austin State University. The 2023 recipient was Patricia Isabel Ortiz. 

• Texas Christian University Communication Sciences and Disorders Scholarship Fund: Awarded to a student attending Texas Christian University. The 2023 recipient was Lizzy Goldrick. 

• Empress Zedler Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas State University. The 2023 recipient was Joslyn Balli. 

There were two new scholarships awarded this year.

• Frank Brister Doctorate of Audiology Scholarship: Awarded on a rotating basis to a student attending one of five audiology programs: Lamar University, The University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, or The University of Texas at Dallas. The 2023 recipient was Tania Alexandra Velez from Lamar University. 

• Thelma Zirkelbach Scholarship: Awarded to a student who wants to work with pediatric patients and is enrolled at the University of Houston. The 2023 recipient was Maria Dean. 

These scholarships were awarded at the TSHF and TSHA Awards Breakfast at the TSHA 2023 Convention in Austin on February 24. We would like to thank all the donors as well as TSHF Scholarship Committee members Delva Culp, Marva Mount, Christine Fiestas, Teresa Garcia, Heather Killeen, and Gillien Oliver. 

If you are a student interested in applying for a future scholarship, please visit https://www.tshfoundation.org/Awards/Scholarships. If you are a current professional, please consider supporting future speech-language pathologists and audiologists by donating to a specific fund at http://www.tshfoundation.org/. Together, we can improve the lives of people with communication disorders.