14 Awarded Prestigious Terry Scholarships

A diverse group of 14 incoming freshman has been chosen to receive prestigious Terry Foundation Scholarships for the 2008–2009 academic year.

The new class now brings the total number of Terry Scholars at UT Dallas to 36. The award covers tuition, student fees, textbooks, on-campus housing and miscellaneous other expenses

The eight men and six women enrolled for the fall semester were selected based on an array of factors, including leadership, character, academic distinction and financial need.  

The recipients and their intended majors are:  

• James Catalano, Allen High School, Allen, software engineering.
• Fahad Firoze, Centennial High School, Allen, accounting.
• Kalyn Hanson, Plano Senior High School, Plano, biochemistry.
• Suzanne Hengst, Deer Park High School, Pasadena, business.
• Ndy Ikwuagwu, John Horn High School, Mesquite, biochemistry.
• Diana Iribadzhakova, L.D. Bell High School, Hurst, biology.
• Josin Kalathil, Lewisville High School, Lewisville, biochemistry.
• Samantha McMillan, Billy Ryan High School, Denton, economics.
• Christopher Moore, James Madison High School, San Antonio, chemistry.
• Daniel Ordonez, Townview High School, Dallas, business.
• Noah Ragan-Schmalz, Naaman Forest High School, Garland, neuroscience.
• Lisa Varghese, Faith Christian High School, Bedford, biology.
• Alexandra Wilson, McKinney High School, McKinney, biology.
• Dranoel Wilson, Terrell High School, Terrell, computer science.

The Houston-based Terry Foundation is the largest private source of scholarships in Texas.  The foundation will give the University a total $600,000 in scholarship money this year. Beneficiaries must have graduated from a Texas high school.

Blythe Torres directs the program for UT Dallas.  The University’s awardees include one high school valedictorian. Eight graduated in the top 5 percent of their high school graduating classes, and the group’s average SAT score is 1279.

The award typically covers four years.

Candidate nominations came through UT Dallas’ Office of Undergraduate Education, headed by Dr. Michael Coleman, associate provost and dean of undergraduate education.  Once the students were selected to apply for the scholarship, they were reviewed by the foundation’s board of directors and interviewed by a panel consisting of Terry alumni, current Terry Scholars and directors of the foundation.

“These scholarships are a blessing for us and for the students,” Coleman said.  “It gives us the ability to provide assistance to deserving students who are not only smart and talented, but who have overcome some obstacles in their life and who would ordinarily not be able to attend college without this financial support.”

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