Testimonials
The following testimonials are from past RSF recipients. If you are a past recipient and would like to add your testimonial to this site please use the contact form.
I graduated from Center High School in 1996 as the valedictorian and went on to the University of Texas, Austin, to study molecular biology. I soon discovered that my high school education was thorough; and I was better prepared for freshman college courses than many of my counterparts from big cities like Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. I breezed through freshman chemistry and biology and placed out of several other freshman courses like English and government. I was a drummer in the Center High School marching band, and soon after I landed at UT I joined an alternative rock band that played clubs in and around Austin - the proclaimed "music capital of the world." I graduated from UT with a 4.0 GPA and a bachelor of science degree in molecular biology. Not ready to leave Austin, I stuck around for another year to work as a lab technician and to continue with my musical endeavors. I later applied for graduate school and decided to go to the University of California, Berkeley, to work with Dr. Robert Tjian - one of the greatest living American scientists who studies how gene activity is regulated. I kept up with my music and started playing drums for bands in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2007 I graduated from Berkeley with a PhD in molecular and cell biology, and I subsequently garnered venture capital funding to start a company developing alternative liquid transportation fuels. I am the Chief Scientific Officer of this company.
Center High School and the Roughrider Scholarship played significant, formative roles in my life. CHS provided a high-quality education that laid the foundation for all the academic, career and personal highlights that I mention in the above paragraph. Scholarships in general, and the Roughrider Scholarship in particular, helped immensely in paying for an expensive college education that was necessary for my career advancement. I found success by taking advantage of the opportunities offered me at Center High School.
Bertrand Vick, PhD
I am very proud to be a former recipient of the Roughrider Scholarship. This scholarship enabled me to pay for tuition during my first semester of college. I began my college career at Panola and then transferred to SFA where I graduated with a Bachelors of Business Administration degree. I later returned to college and earned my Masters degree in Educational Leadership. I have been employed with Center ISD since 1999. I have been a teacher at the middle school level, a coach at the middle and high school level, assistant principal at the middle school and I am currently the principal at the middle school. I have been a Rider my whole life and I am very proud of that fact.
Thanks,
Heath Hagler
Principal
Center Middle School
In May of 2004, I was eager to graduate and excited about the opportunities of the future. After a summer that seemed endless, I finally matriculated at Rice University in Houston, Texas that Fall. I was excited to be in a place where I could receive a great education while learning about the world and about myself. I was soon faced with new challenges, cultures and ideas that I had never encountered while spending my first 18 years in Center.
Receiving the Roughrider Scholarship had significant financial benefits, especially with many of the unexpected costs of being a college freshman (like paying for books for the first time!) Even greater than these tangible rewards, however, were the ideas that the scholarship represented. As I faced the challenges of adjusting to college, I was reassured by knowing that the community that had watched me grow up was still there, encouraging and supporting me through the tough times and celebrating with me in the good times. The Roughrider Scholarship Foundation embodies the encouragement and support of our small community by enabling all Center students to pursue their goals in higher education.
L.E. Golden
CHS 2004
Rice University 2008
In 1990 I received a Roughrider Scholarship as a graduating senior from Center High School. College was always a dream of mine and an important goal for my family, as I would be the first to earn a college degree. At that time, every dime counted as I started my college career at the University of Houston. I eventually transferred to Stephen F. Austin and entered the School of Business. The scholarship was extremely important as I eventually worked two jobs while a full-time student in order to pay my own way. I graduated from SFA in 1995 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business as a Management Major. I began working for, then General Shelters, now Port-A-Cool LLC, as a Production Manager. I have now been with the company for over twelve years and currently serve as Vice-President of Manufacturing. For a young man growing up on a poultry farm, the scholarship provided me a platform to begin building toward my goals. My thanks to everyone who has supported the program over the years.
Jason Locke
Vice-President, Manufacturing
Port-a-Cool, L.L.C.
As part of the graduating class of 2002 from Center High School, I was deeply honored to receive a scholarship from the Roughrider Scholarship Foundation. After graduating, I was able to attend Blinn College in Bryan, TX where I concentrated on basic studies. After Blinn, I enrolled in classes at Panola College in Carthage, TX to finish up my basic studies. It wasn’t until after Panola that I discovered my true passion in Culinary Arts which led me to the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin, TX. After 15 months of study, I graduated with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts in November of 2005. After graduation, I decided to stay in Austin where I am currently working at a restaurant by the name of Jaspers. Receiving this scholarship enabled me to begin my college career which led to the success of my degree in Culinary Arts. Once again, I was honored to have received this scholarship and many thanks to the Roughrider Scholarship Foundation.
Dustin Pustka
CHS Class of 2002
I graduated from Center High School in May of 1990 with plans to attend college and major in Biology. I wanted to work in some branch of the medical field. I attended Panola Junior College for two years while working in a local optometrist’s office, then transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University and completed my degree in Biology while working with an ophthalmologist in Nacogdoches.
I always felt that I had received a very solid education in Center and that I was prepared academically for college, and that proved to be true. I had always known, too, that my family, the school and the community had provided me with the social and cultural experiences that I needed to be successful in the world. When I applied for scholarships before graduation, I had no idea if I would receive any financial help, but on awards night, I was excited and surprised to receive a Roughrider Scholarship. I used that money for tuition and books and have always been grateful to the community for the help it provided me in reaching my personal goals.
After graduation, because of my degree I was hired by Dr. Leo Mack in Tyler as an Ophthalmic/Surgical Assistant. I was employed in that position for 9 years before being hired by Tyler Junior College to teach in the Vision Care Technology department. Through my job there, I feel that I am helping other students realize their goals while doing something that I enjoy.
Thank you, Catherine Pinkston Scholarship supporters for helping me reach one of my life’s goals! I hope you can continue helping students in the years to come – it is truly a worthy project.
Tracy Ballard Gould
I received the Roughrider Scholarship in May 1989. I started out my college career attending Tyler Junior College for one year but quickly returned back to the purple colors of Stephen F. Austin. I attended SFA and graduated with honors and received a degree in elementary education. Since I graduated I have taught at several Shelby county schools but I am glad that I was able to return to Center where I currently teach second grade. Thanks again for assisting me in college.
Sincerely,
Holly Burns
