Burnet seniors awarded hundreds of thousands in scholarships
Dozens of Burnet High School graduates got hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of scholarships at a recent Hill Country Community Foundation event. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography
Over $600,000 in scholarships were awarded to 151 graduating Burnet High School students by the Hill Country Community Foundation on Thursday evening, May 14, at the annual Burnet Senior Scholarship Night. More than $1 million in scholarships were awarded to Burnet students over the school year.
Hill Country Community Foundation Director Keith McBurnett, who served for 12 years as the Burnet Consolidated Independent School District superintendent until retiring in June 2024, said that the scholarships would allow BCISD students to continue pursuing their dreams without burden.
“(These scholarships) reflect a community-wide commitment to investing in students and helping ensure that every graduating senior- whether pursuing a university degree, trade school, or certification program- has access to opportunities beyond high school,” McBurnett said. “The scholarships help remove barriers, support workforce development, and encourage students to pursue their goals while knowing their hometown believes in their future.”
An additional $90,000 in community development scholarships were gifted to recent graduates pursuing bachelor’s degrees at the event.
“The Foundation’s Community Development Scholarship provides support to Burnet High School graduates during their sophomore, junior, and senior years of college, with recipients receiving $2,500 per year,” McBurnett said. “This year, the Foundation expanded the program by doubling the number of recipients from 6 to 12 students, allowing support for even more Burnet graduates pursuing higher education.”
In conjunction with other local scholarship events, over $1 million in scholarships were awarded to BCISD students throughout the year.
The HCCF, founded in 1983 with the help of community pillars John Hoover, Cary Johnson, and Alvin Nored, awarded four scholarships totaling $2,000 in its first year of operation. It has since grown to raise more than $8.4 million for 4,886 students.