Telephone Student Earns Top "Don't Mess with Texas" Scholarship
- 08.11.06
Telephone Student Earns “Don't Mess with Texas” Scholarship
for Leading Efforts to Expose Illegal Dumping
Three college-bound Texans win third annual scholarship
(TELEPHONE, Texas)-A college-bound student from Telephone, Texas, will use money from the third annual Don't Mess with Texas scholarship program to help pay for his university education.
Max Goerte received the grand prize scholarship of $3,000 for spearheading local litter-prevention efforts in his community. He received his check at the Keep Texas Beautiful annual luncheon on June 27.
The family of David D. Barton, M.D. sponsored the Texas Department of Transportation's 2006 Don't Mess with Texas scholarship program, which awarded one $3,000 and two $1,500 scholarships to graduating Texas high school students who implemented a creative and sustainable solution to a litter problem in their school or community. The late Dr. Barton was an advocate of both higher education and litter prevention, and this year's scholarship donation honors his commitment to helping young people pursue their college degrees.
“Now in our third year, we've been able to provide $16,000 in scholarship funds to deserving students,” said Doris Howdeshell, TxDOT Travel Division Director. “While research reveals Texans younger than 25 are most likely to litter, the number of applications we received shows that a lot of young people are passionate about the environment and are doing their part to keep Texas litter-free.”
Goerte created a slide show for county governmental officials about the litter problem in his area. He presented images showing the extensive amount of trash thrown onto roadsides, charts showing the cost of trash pick-up and what the county was doing to help battle the issue. He, along with his 4-H Club, also adopted a stretch of highway near an area lake.
“When I received the phone call telling me I had won the grand prize scholarship, I had to hold myself back from yelling!” said Goerte. “I was definitely surprised.”
As a result of Goerte's slide show, county officials created the Beautification, Education, and Enforcement Strategies (BEES) committee, dedicated to educating citizens about the prevalence of illegal dumping and littering in Fannin County, as well as implementing plans to stop those practices.
Goerte, a graduate of Twin Lakes High School, plans to attend Paris Junior College later this month, where he'll study business.
“I would definitely be interested in joining an environmental group on campus,” said Goerte. “My work with the BEES organization led me to realize the scope of problems we face, and I want to help out as much as I am able.”
The other two scholarship winners were Dani Schumacher of Bastrop, Texas, and Allison Cohen from San Antonio.
High school seniors were invited to apply for the Don't Mess with Texas scholarship at www.DontMessWithTexas.org. Students supplied a written essay and provided two letters of recommendation. The scholarship is open to Texas graduating high school seniors who plan to attend accredited two- or four-year colleges or public or private universities in Texas.
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