AUSTIN – Brianna Nealy of Pearland, Texas, has been selected as a winner in the 2019 “Don’t mess with Texas” scholarship contest. Brianna was awarded a $6,000 college scholarship which she will apply toward her studies in engineering at The University of Texas at Austin.

The “Don’t mess with Texas” scholarship contest is presented annually in partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful and recognizes the achievements of high school seniors who demonstrate a leadership role in preventing litter in their schools and communities while building awareness of the “Don’t mess with Texas” litter-prevention campaign. A total of $18,000 in scholarships was awarded to four high school seniors. The 2019 scholarships were sponsored by iHeartMedia, PunchDrunk Digital and the Moody Foundation.

Brianna’s passion for caring for the environment has led her to participate in numerous community clean-ups in her area throughout the years. Spurred by wanting to do more, Brianna led the effort as a senior at Glenda Dawson High School to plant 10 Texas native trees at the Willow Waterhole Greenway which is part of Harris County Flood Control and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Project Brays. She recruited volunteers from her school, secured the trees and planting supplies, and led a trash clean-up of the area before planting began. Her efforts resulted in a total beautification of the area.

“Don’t mess with Texas” has been educating Texans about litter prevention since 1986. The campaign is the signature initiative for TxDOT’s litter prevention initiatives which include Adopt-a-Highway, a grassroots partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful and the community outreach and cleanup event — the Don’t mess with Texas Trash-Off. For additional information on “Don’t mess with Texas,” visit Dontmesswithtexas.org.

For media inquiries, contact TxDOT Media Relations at [email protected] or (512) 463-8700.