Austin Bank Awards $35,500 in College Scholarships

MAY 2009 - Austin Bank is proud to award $35,500 in college scholarships to 31 East Texas high school students as part of its Commitment-to-Community program that supports the educational goals of area youth.

“Austin Bank commends all these outstanding students on their educational goals and their determination to achieve those goals through a college education,” said Jeff Austin, III, Vice Chairman of the Board. “We are pleased to assist these students, their families and the East Texas Community by providing scholarship funds for education.”

Since the inception of the Austin Bank Commitment-to-Community Scholarship program in 2005, Austin Bank has awarded a total of $133,000 to East Texas graduating seniors.

The scholarship recipients are 2009 graduates from 18 high schools within the East Texas area that Austin Bank serves. This year’s recipients include 27 students from the community and four students who are children of Austin Bank employees.

Scholarship recipients were selected based on scholastic achievement, extracurricular activity involvement, leadership qualities and an essay contest.

The 2009 Scholarship winners are:

Cassie Case, Big Sandy High School
Monique Gordon, Bullard High School
Ryan Russell, Central Heights High School (Nacogdoches)
Jon Kayla Brown, Chapel Hill High School
Amanda Calhoun, Garrison High School
Jordan Adkison, Garrison High School
Jared Harborth, Gilmer High School
Lockie Breeding, Harmony High School
Travis Burks, Harmony High School
Ashleigh Lewis, Jacksonville High School
Brad Eyre, Jacksonville High School
Katie Cook, Jacksonville High School
Cornelius Burns, John Tyler High School (Tyler)
Andrew Gary Wells, Nacogdoches High School
Caleb Witcher, Nacogdoches High School
Hunter Skoog, Pine Tree High School
Blake Hicks, Rains High School
Grace Jones, Rains High School
Adam Solomon, Robert E. Lee High School (Tyler)
Beth Ann McCloskey, Robert E. Lee High School (Tyler)
Katie Anderson, Robert E. Lee High School (Tyler)
Moriah Rivera, Robert E. Lee High School (Tyler)
Charnell Franklin, Rusk High School
Kala Finley, Rusk High School
Luke Wallis, Spring Hill High School (Longview)
Shannon Irby, Spring Hill High School (Longview)
Chase Coker, Troup High School
Maegan Knuckles, Troup High School
Ryan Raugust, Van High School
Shelby Harris, Van High School
Heath Mayo, Whitehouse High School

Austin Bank is a community bank headquartered in Jacksonville, Texas with assets in excess of $1 billion. Bank offices are located in 28 East Texas cities in nine counties.