By: Melissa Whitaker, MS, CCC-SLP, and Kat Aoyama, PhD, TSHF Scholarship Awards Co-Chairs

The mission of the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation (TSHF) is to improve the lives of people with communication disorders by supporting research, education, and service endeavors on their behalf. The TSHF was established in 1985, and it has grown significantly since then. Scholarships are awarded to graduate students in audiology and speech-language pathology from almost every program in Texas. See below for a list of the Foundation’s current endowment funds and this year’s recipient(s) of each scholarship.

• Jon Ashby Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Abilene Christian University. The 2025 recipient was Megan Cottingham.
• Madeline Brand Scholarship: Awarded on a rotating basis to a student attending the University of Texas-El Paso or New Mexico State University. The 2025 recipient was Alexa Rueda from the New Mexico State University.
• Braniff Clipped B’s Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending the University of Texas at Dallas. The 2025recipient was Olivia Duffy.
• Jeanne Braniff-Terrell Scholarship: Awarded on a rotating basis to a student attending one of the four north Texas universities: Texas Christian University, Texas Woman’s University, University of Texas at Dallas, or University of North Texas. The 2025 recipient was Marley Jo Mahoney from Texas Woman's University.
• Elizabeth Carrow-Woolfolk Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Our Lady of the Lake University. The 2025 recipient was Mayra Cabrera.
• Margaret Cooper Crabtree Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending The University of Houston. The 2025 recipient was Mariana Martin Maluy.
• Donna Russell Fox Scholarship: Awarded to a doctoral student at any accredited university in the United States. The 2025 recipient was Sakeena Saleem from University of North Texas.
• Gardner Gateley Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Baylor University. The 2025 recipient was Rachel Lynch.
• Gilbert C. Hanke Endowed Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Stephen F. Austin State University. The 2025 recipient was Tyland Stewart.
• Sara Haynes Scholarship: Awarded to a speech-language pathology student enrolled in an accredited master’s program in Texas. The 2025 recipients were Brianna Sanborn from the University of Houston and Emily Rangel from the University of Texas at Austin.
• Houston Association for Communication Disorders (HACD) Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending the University of Houston or Texas Woman’s University distance program. The 2025 recipient was Kelli Gonzales Seay from Texas Woman's University.
• Judith Keller Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The 2025 recipient was Darcie Burnett.
• Anne Mauzy Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending the University of Texas at Austin who wants a career in public schools, preferably in early childhood education. The 2025 recipient was Vianca Revote Sula.
• Grace Middleton Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending the University of Texas at El Paso. The 2025recipient was Kevin Vazquez.
• San Antonio Speech, Hearing, and Language Association (SASHLA) Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Our Lady of the Lake University. The 2025 recipient was Caitlin Terrazas.
• Sherry Sancibrian Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The 2025 recipient was Erin Bova.
• Sondra’s Money Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas A&M University at Kingsville. The 2025 recipient was Natalie Salinas.
• Elnita Ostrom Stanley Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Stephen F. Austin State University. The 2025 recipient was Megan Berry.
• Empress Zedler Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending Texas State University. The 2025 recipient was Baylie Baccinelli.
• Texas Christian University Communication Sciences and Disorders Scholarship Fund: Awarded to a student attending Texas Christian University. The 2025 recipient was Katherine Dian Westbrook.
• Larry Higdon Scholarship: Awarded to an audiology doctoral student at any accredited university in Texas. The 2025 recipient was Ashley June Marsh from The University of Texas at Dallas.
• Frank Brister Scholarship: Awarded on a rotating basis to a student attending one of five audiology programs: Lamar University, The University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, or The University of Texas at Dallas. The 2025 recipient was Madison Anne Lyde from University of North Texas.
• Thelma Zirkelbach Scholarship: Awarded to a student attending The University of Houston. The 2025 recipient was Aunza Shenwari.

These scholarships were awarded at the TSHF Awards Breakfast as part of the TSHA 2025 Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on May 2. The total amount of the scholarships was $31,400 this year! We would like to thank all the donors as well as the scholarship committee members: Delva Culp, Marva Mount, Christine Fiestas, Gillien Oliver, and Heather Killeen. If you are a student interested in applying for a future scholarship, please visit https://www.tshfoundation.org/Awards/Scholarships. If you are a current professional, please consider supporting future speech-language pathologists and audiologists by donating to a specific fund at http://www.tshfoundation.org/. Together, we can improve the lives of people with communication disorders.