Ambitious Franklin High School Student Wins "Don't Mess with Texas" Scholarship
- 06.19.05
Allison Armendariz wins $1,000 for tackling local litter problem
(El PASO, Texas)—Young Texans are the state's worst litterers, but thanks to Franklin High School senior Allison Armendariz, the number of offenders in El Paso may be on the decline.
On June 19, Armendariz was awarded the Don't Mess with Texas scholarship, sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and funded by Advantage-Rent-A-Car, for creating the Franklin High School "ecology club." She started the ecology club after sensing a lack of awareness from the student body about litter prevention and other environmental issues affecting El Paso.
The Don't Mess with Texas Scholarship was created to recognize the achievements of Texas high school seniors who have taken actions to prevent litter in their schools or communities.
"Allison's litter-prevention activities are truly remarkable and especially inspiring given that Texans ages 16 to 24 are the most frequent litterers," said TxDOT Travel Division Director Doris Howdeshell. "Her determination to start an ecology club and drive student participation at litter cleanups across the El Paso area really made her application stand out for our panel of judges."
In her application, Armendariz said getting the ecology club started was hard work, but it eventually paid off by benefiting not only Franklin High School but the entire El Paso community. She plans to use the scholarship money to attend Texas Christian University in Fort Worth this fall where she'll study business.
"Rewarding Allison's leadership and hard work with a college scholarship is something we are honored to provide," said Mark Walker, Vice President of Advantage Rent-A-Car. "The ecology club she founded inspired others to keep their community clean, which will hopefully carry over to when they travel on Texas roads. And keeping our roads and highways clean is an important component to tourism in Texas and attracting visitors to our great state."
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