Assisting Briarwood Students through Scholarship

Briarwood honors recipients of the Assistance League scholarships (from left): Dominick DeRanieri, Tyler Saathoff, Richard Neal, Jack Roche and Jenna Baird. (Photo: Sandy Bairfield)

April 25, 2017 proved to be a special day. Dressed in their best attire, nine Briarwood students attended a ceremony to be honored by the Assistance League of Houston; these students received scholarships for their next year’s education. Every year the Assistance League offers scholarships to Briarwood students based on their scholastic achievements.

The Assistance League helps serve the children of the Houston community from Sharpstown (HISD), Memorial, Stratford, Northbrook, Spring Woods, Westchester (SBISD), ProVision, YES Prep high schools and The Briarwood School. Teachers nominate students and write recommendation letters to further explain why the students are deserving of award programs. 

The Assistance League of Houston annually awards deserving students with scholarships for their education.  Pictured here are Briarwood Juniors (from left) Colten Gonzalez, Mackenzie McAnear and Doug Ginsberg. (Photo: Sandy Bairfield)

These fortunate students, accompanied by their ecstatic parents, arrived at the Assistance League of Houston building and walked up the stairs to see banners from past successes. Eventually, a select few are honored. Seniors Tyler Saathoff and Dominick DeRanieri were awarded tuition scholarships for Continuing Education. This money will go toward their education at the Texas college of their choosing. Dominick will attend Lamar University and Tyler’s future is at Sam Houston State University.

Three Briarwood students were awarded scholarships for Individual Progress in a high school academic class. Sophomore Lauren Amos, junior Doug Ginsberg and junior Colten Gonzalez were thrilled that their hard work was rewarded. The money from these scholarships will go toward their Briarwood tuition. The final four students each were presented with a scholarship for a specialized class. Freshman Jenna Baird was given a scholarship for Algebra 1, an acknowledgment of her math talents. Freshman Richard Neal has a knack for Integrated Physics and Chemistry (IPC), and it literally paid off. Sophomore Jack Roach received a scholarship for his extraordinary art abilities. Several pieces of Jack’s artworks were recently displayed at an art auction. Additionally, junior Mackenzie McAnear, a natural writer, was honored with the English Ⅲ scholarship.

Still overwhelmed by the recognition that will forever positively impact their lives, the students reflected on what got them to this point. As Dwayne Johnson so eloquently stated, “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”