Ten students at Texas graduate social work programs have received $50,000 in special scholarship awards honoring the 70th anniversary of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.
In recent years the Hogg Foundation has awarded five $5,000 Ima Hogg scholarships annually to graduate social work students who plan to provide mental health services after graduation. The scholarship program was created in 1956 by Miss Ima Hogg to attract students to mental health careers.
This year, the Hogg Foundation doubled the number of scholarships to mark its 70th year of promoting mental health in Texas. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Governor James S. Hogg and has awarded millions of dollars in Texas to support mental health services, research, policy analysis and public education.
“Miss Ima truly was gifted in her vision for improving mental health in Texas. The scholarship program she created five decades ago is more relevant than ever today as Texas faces a serious and widening gap between the mental health workforce and the need for services,” said Executive Director Dr. Octavio N. Martinez Jr.
Scholarship recipients must attend a Texas graduate social work program that is accredited or pending accreditation by the national Council on Social Work Education. The scholarship recipients are:
- Abilene Christian University: Heather Portillo, Abilene
- Baylor University: Suzanne White, Waco
- Our Lady of the Lake University: Mary Di Giacomo, San Antonio
- Stephen F. Austin University: Sonya Baker, Jacksonville
- Texas State University – San Marcos: Arnold Williams, San Marcos
- The University of Houston: Ashley Montondon, Humble
- The University of Texas – Pan American: Marisa Pineda, Weslaco
- The University of Texas at Arlington: Elizabeth Lepe, Arlington
- The University of Texas at Austin: Heather Teel, Austin
- The University of Texas at San Antonio: Melba Gomez, San Antonio
The Hogg Foundation is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.
