10 Future Teachers Earn $8,000 Annual Scholarships at WT

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Ten West Texas A&M University students were awarded scholarships through a prestigious Texas foundation that will allow them to finish their bachelor’s degrees and enter the teaching workforce.

The students were chosen as WT’s initial group of Charles Butt Scholars, made possible when the University was selected in 2024 as one of six new partner universities through the Charles Butt Foundation’s Raising Texas Teachers program.

“As one of the 26 Raising Texas Teachers Partner universities, we are honored to be able to offer the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers to this inspired group of students,” said Dr. Gary Bigham, dean of the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences. “This partnership aligns with our College’s mission of developing professionals to lead, serve and educate. We congratulate each scholar and look forward to seeing their positive impact in Texas public schools.”

Each student will receive $8,000 annually until they finish their undergraduate degree, said Dr. Betty Coneway, head of WT’s Department of Education and the Geneva Schaeffer Professor of Education and Social Sciences.

“As a department committed to preparing excellent future educators, we are proud to see our students recognized for their commitment to teaching in Title 1, economically disadvantaged schools, or in priority subject areas,” Coneway said.

All Raising Texas Teachers partner universities are eligible to recommend eligible teacher candidates to receive the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, an $8,000 scholarship that can cover expenses up to the cost of attendance for up to four years. Candidates are chosen following a competitive application process.

To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $15.7 million to over 1,000 scholarship recipients. More than 600 scholar alumni have graduated from their teacher preparation programs and entered the teaching field.

WT has worked with the Charles Butt Foundation and other stakeholders for several years to scale evidence-based clinical practices, improve coursework and training to include practice-based pedagogies, develop strong district partnerships, and advance the teaching profession by sharing lessons learned. 

Recipients of the scholarship are committed to teaching in the Texas public school system in either a Title 1 or majority economically disadvantaged school or in a priority subject area that has historically been hard to staff (math, science, special education, or bilingual).

Education majors, who were recognized Sept. 8, earning the Charles Butt scholarships are Miranda Ballard, a senior from Panhandle; Garren Bustamante, a senior from Amarillo; Kayla Metzger, a sophomore from Estancia, New Mexico; Esmeralda Osornio, a senior from Perryton; Kinsley Owen, a freshman from Canyon; Victoria Rinker, a senior from Perryton; Judith Sanchez Solano, a senior from Amarillo; Allison Seymour, a senior from Amarillo; Diego Tino, a sophomore from Hereford; and Lily Wambold, a sophomore from Canyon.

WT opened in 1910 as West Texas State Normal College, a school that trained teachers. Today, about 75 percent of all teachers and administrators throughout the Panhandle region have at least one degree or certificate from WT.

In addition to training teachers, counselors, educational diagnosticians, instructional designers, curriculum specialists and school administrators, the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences also prepares school psychologists and social work professionals. The College offers programs in psychology, sociology and the law, as well as direct engagement with the community through its programs in criminal justice and emergency management administration. The College currently serves about 1,700 students, making it the second-largest College at WT.

Training educators is still a vital mission of the University, as laid out in its the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $175 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: West Texas A&M University education majors recently were awarded major scholarships as Charles Butt Scholars. Pictured are, from left, Garren Bustamante, Victoria Rinker, Judith Sanchez, Esmeralda Osornio, Allison Seymour, Miranda Ballad, Kayla Metzger, Lily Wambold, Kinsly Owen and Diego Tino.

—WT—