The cost of college is often a barrier to education for many. Financial aid, grants, and scholarships help ease the burden of this by providing funds that would be unavailable to students otherwise.
For three teenagers from Houston, that barrier became easier to overcome thanks to the assistance of the Houston Marathon Foundation.
Hailey Martine (Heights High School), Aden Saucedo (Colony High School), and Marco Chavez (Eastwood Academy) recently received $10,000 each through the Houston Marathon Foundation’s College Scholarship program.
Speaking with ABC 13 about the exciting news, Saucedo said, “It’s going to help me go to school. I like where I’m going. I’m really blessed for the opportunity.” Saucedo will be attending Rice University in the Fall to study under its chemical engineering program.
Fellow high school graduate Chavez told the publication that being the recipient of this scholarship will help him focus on both his studies and his running. “I want to train for a marathon and build up to an Ironman.
With this scholarship, it will allow me to have time to train and not have to work at UT,” Chavez said. He’s planning on studying computer engineering at the university.
For Martine, the scholarship serves a similar purpose by alleviating the need to find a job right away to help cover the cost of her studies at Vanderbilt.
She’ll be attending the civil engineering program, and told ABC 13, “I’ll be able to focus on my studies in Nashville” now that she knows some of her fees will be covered.
The Houston Marathon Foundation awards scholarships every year
Applications for the 2027 Houston Marathon Foundation College Scholarship will be released in the Fall—more information can be found here once it becomes available.
According to the website, it’s an undergraduate program and recipients are deemed eligible for receiving funds if they are “high-achieving high school seniors — who exemplify leadership, generosity, and volunteer spirit in their everyday life.”
Students must also participate in either a cross-country program through their high school or display a love of running by taking part in community events.
Three individuals are selected as recipients of the Houston Marathon Foundation College Scholarship every year and are awarded $2,500/per academic year for a total of $10,000 across all four years of schooling.
Applicants must also be located in the Greater Houston Area to be eligible for receiving funds, meaning they need to live in one of the following nine counties: Waller, Austin, Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston, Montgomery, Harris, Chambers, and Brazoria.
Steve Schnell, who works for the foundation, said in an interview with ABC 13, “This is the second year in a row that we’ve brought it up to three recipients for $10,000 each. We’re super excited to be able to do it.”
All three students—Hailey Martine, Aden Saucedo, and Marco Chavez—were equally excited, and wanted to encourage other students to follow in their footsteps.
Saucedo said to his fellow runners, “Don’t give up, keep going. Every day is a new day to get better.”
Chavez echoed that statement, saying, “Keep going, just chase your dreams regardless of how hard or big they seem.”
And Martine’s one piece of advice? “Running is at least 50% percent mental,” so it really is a case of mind over matter.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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