Scholarship Impact
Bobcats work hard, both in their studies and to make their studies possible. Scholarships ensure they will continue to have opportunities to do as much as they dream.
“I am writing to thank you deeply for your investment in my education through the Robert E. and Frances Anderson Physics Scholarship. It is incredibly generous, and I am extremely grateful to have been chosen to receive such an honor. I am going to be the first person in my family to receive a bachelor’s degree, and I do not plan to stop there. I plan to continue my efforts in pursuing a STEM career, and this scholarship will undoubtedly assist.
I am in my second semester at Texas State; I commute from my family home in Kyle to the San Marcos campus, where I am studying Physics. Though I have only been here a short time, I have established myself within the department. I am a member of both the Society of Physics Students and the Society of Women in Physics here at Texas State. I am an LA, attending two sections of Calculus-Based Mechanics as well as the help center twice a week to further student success within these challenging classes. I also attended the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics this January, representing Texas State along with four other wonderful women.
After I graduate in the Spring of 2026, I plan to attend graduate school to further my education. My dream job would be computational analysis of data collected from the wonders of space. I wish to discover and create explanations, or even better: new questions humanity hasn’t yet considered.
I truly cannot express how grateful I am for this opportunity provided to me. I will use the money from this scholarship to go towards necessities for my education, and further my savings for future housing. It is an honor to accept this scholarship.”
— Emma Die
Class of 2026
"Thank you for the immensely generous fellowship you have given to me. I am pursuing a graduate degree in history with a concentration in public history. My goal is to teach history to the community in compelling and accessible ways, particularly queer history and/or history of the Reconstruction Era. Texas State is an excellent university to achieve this because of its own rich history, its connections with nearby archives and museums, and its wonderful faculty and staff, many of whom have experience with the aforementioned subjects.
Your contribution will help me gain more experience in interacting with the local community. In doing so, I will learn how to combine rigorous academic research with public accessibility, and to provide people with a greater appreciation and understanding of the past. This understanding will not only involve historical dates or events, or even more abstract concepts and interpretations – but also the inextricable connections our past has with our present and future. Thank you for assisting me in pursuing my future. It means more than words can express."
— Jude Drouillard
Class of 2026
“Thank you to the people who have provided me with the Robert & Frances Anderson Physics Scholarship which has allowed me to pursue my education in my desired field. It is with immense appreciation that I accept this scholarship opportunity that you and your late husband have provided. I know that it is a difficult process to decide who receives this financial assistance and I am grateful that you and your committee have seen me fit to be worthy of such a gift. The act of pursuing one’s dreams is a troublesome endeavor that can pose many obstacles along the way. These obstacles can range from academic preparation to financial requirements. I thank you dearly for relieving some of this burden through means of this scholarship. I am now able to comfortably devote my time to other areas of my life and more importantly, my education.
Upon graduation in 2025, I would like to seek a job either in the field of optics or X-ray imaging technology. When a stable career position has been found, I would consider returning to school to receive my Ph.D. in Physics. Hopefully, you can see that this scholarship not only affects me in the present time. It has been the start of many opportunities that will positively affect the rest of my life. By awarding me with the Robert & Frances Anderson Physics Scholarship, you lightened my financial burden which allowed me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, education. The same drive that has allowed me to succeed in high school will once again drive me to succeed at Texas State University. I only wish that one day I can assist students in pursuing their dreams just as you have helped me."
— Caleb Solis
Class of 2025
"Thank you for the Gary V. Woods Scholarship. Your generous donation will allow me to complete my Ph.D. in Material Science, Engineering and Commercialization, and MBA.
I am from Austin Texas but the diagnosis of dysgraphia and ADHD that I received in second grade meant nothing to me at the time. Yet, due to my learning disabilities, early in my high-school years I was placed in a degree program that was designed for students who were regarded as not likely to succeed in college and were therefore, not being prepared. The quote by Albert Einstein, “Everybody is a genius, but if a fish is judged by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its entire life believing that it is stupid,” echoes through my time as a student up until I graduated from high school. Being told I was not college material profoundly impacted my self-esteem. I spent several years working entry-level jobs before deciding to enroll in classes at Austin Community College. This academic reintroduction was not to remind myself of the basics, but to learn how to become a collegiate student in a way that works for me and my unique learning disabilities. As I progressed in my classes, I learned to embrace my “fish”-like qualities and turn them into strengths.
I received my bachelor's and master's from Texas State in chemistry working with Dr. Chris Rhodes. I consider myself a “from scratch battery maker” and wrote my thesis titled “Metal Substitution within Nanostructured Nickel Hydroxides for Aqueous Rechargeable Nickel-Zinc Batteries”. During my Masters, we initiated a collaborative project with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) that included my participation in three summer internships at NRL where we began developing metal-substituted nickel hydroxide cathode materials for rechargeable batteries. These cathodes would then be coupled with the revolutionary NRL 3D-zinc anode, to create a safe, cost-effective, rechargeable battery with the potential to replace lithium-ion batteries.
My focus during my Ph.D. will be changing the battery recipe and evaluating its performance. My MBA will allow me to develop the tools needed to commercialize this product. Your scholarship will help me financially by enabling me to pursue my research and coursework."
— Samuel Kimmel
Class of 2024
"My name is Alicia Vela, and I am extremely grateful for this scholarship support. It’s going to help immensely as I’ve been working full-time to pay for college as I go. Unfortunately, we were affected by the tornado in Round Rock this past April. Having this scholarship to put toward my education relieves a lot of my financial burdens and allows me to dedicate more time to my classes. I am planning to graduate in December of 2024 and have been counting down the semesters until I can count the weeks and finally the days! It’s been a long time coming to graduate, and especially for something I’m in love with and get to make my career. Interior design has always been a passion since childhood. Moving every few years while growing up in a military household and developed the ability to constantly change and update my own living space. It’s going to be amazing to put those skills into other people’s homes or even help companies bring to life their dream offices!"
— Alicia Vela
Class of 2024
"I am Elizabeth Bustamante, and with your aid, I will have the ability to continue my educational success. My mother would constantly, and still to this day, sit me down and instruct me to focus on my education and seek higher education. She knew that my family would not be able to financially support my educational endeavors. This was something I knew from a young age, and I knew I had to rely on gracious and charitable families like yours. I was a research assistant for the pilot program at Austin Police Department Cadet Academy and I rode out on several ride-outs with Texas State UPD. I was, at the time, a pledgee for LAE (a professional co-ed organization), but now I am the pledge educator and involved in recruitment. Currently, I am working two jobs, actively involved in LAE and editing drafts for cadet academy purposes. To further my endeavors, I have sought out an opportunity to reconstruct the Spanish curriculum at APD cadet academy. I have many reasons to pursue my higher education, but that would not be tangible without the aid of scholarships. I will forever be grateful for this phenomenal opportunity where I may pursue a profession that I am extremely passionate about. You're allowing me to earn my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in May 2024. You have supported a Mexican American girl with a humble background, who will use this opportunity to blossom. I cannot emphasize my gratitude enough. You are allowing me to seek the professional level that I know I can accomplish."
— Elizabeth Bustamante
Class of 2024