The scholarship program that began in 2020 was originally designed to award two deserving students with $2,500 each. We are pleased to announce that this year, The Howard Hughes Corporation chose to increase the number of recipients to three, as students graduating from our schools continue to raise the bar, not only in their studies, but in their endeavors to make a difference in the lives of others. The Howard Hughes Corporation conferred scholarships to Andrew Nichols, Karen Morgado, and Dillon Winkler at the school’s awards night held on May 26. The three high school seniors were chosen based on several criteria including grades, extra-curricular activities, community involvement, financial need and acts of leadership.
“The Howard Hughes Corporation congratulates these deserving graduates on their achievements, and we are looking forward to celebrating their future accomplishments,” said Heath Melton, Executive Vice President of MPC Residential, The Howard Hughes Corporation. “We are proud to contribute to members of a graduating class that lived through the challenges of Hurricane Harvey, winter storm Uri and the recent pandemic to continue their studies and achieve their academic goals. Despite those obstacles, making our selections proved to be a difficult task, which speaks to the well-rounded, dedicated, and compassionate students at Bridgeland High School.”
Bridgeland High School is part of Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District and is one of the highest rated schools in Texas by the Texas Education Agency as are the other schools within the community’s boundaries: Pope Elementary and Wells Elementary.
Andrew Nichols earned a 6.65 GPA, started two businesses and excelled at art and golf. He has worked hard developing leadership skills through different roles, throughout Boy Scouts and in the community. He’s discovered that being a good leader requires good communication and valuing people. This year he was elected by his peers to Senior Patrol Leader, the highest level of leadership in scouting. In his sophomore year, Nichols raised nearly $50,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, bringing awareness to blood cancers and honoring his mother who had been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and is now in remission.
The family has incurred sizeable medical debt from his mother’s treatment. Receiving the scholarship will help to alleviate the additional burden of the cost of college. He credits a sixth-grade robotics club for inspiring his interest in the way things work. In the fall, Nichols will be working toward a mechanical engineering degree at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Karen Morgado graduated with a 6.275 GPA, and in addition to working part-time, was involved in a variety of extra-curricular clubs and volunteer work that helped her grow as a leader. From working with the Friends Club, assisting children with disabilities; the Red Cross Club, assisting the elderly, veterans and citizens after a disaster; the Key Club, volunteering in the community; and the Strong Foundation, an organization that helps lift up homeless families to give them a fresh start showed her that anything that is worthy of our time is not time wasted.
The award of this scholarship will greatly help to pay for her future and help her father to set aside some money for her younger siblings’ education. In the fall, Morgado will attend Prairie View A&M with plans to transfer to Baylor University to study mechanical engineering, working toward her career goal of designing rides for Disney World as an Imagineer.
Dillon Winkler attained a 5.85 GPA and plans to attend Blinn College in the fall then transfer to Texas A&M in College Station pursuing business studies with a focus on cyber security. He has demonstrated a sense of maturity and responsibility from an early age, starting to work when he was just 14, first as a pet sitter, then as a lifeguard. Winkler now holds a Team Lead position with Chick-fil-A, being promoted three times within two years, proving he is dependable, accountable and committed. Of all the places where Winkler volunteers, serving meals to the less fortunate at The Houston Homeless Shelter is by far his favorite place to help others.
In Winkler’s family, each of the five children will be financially responsible for paying for their own education after high school. The scholarship will enable him to take a heavier course load so that he can graduate at the earliest possible time. His career goals include becoming a CEO.
More than 360 scholarships have been awarded to graduates by The Howard Hughes Corporation in their award-winning Houston-area communities, including Bridgeland, The Woodlands and The Woodlands Hills. The Bridgeland Scholarship is part of the HHCares community-focused philanthropic funding and volunteerism program. It continues to honor deserving students like Andrew Nichols, Karen Morgado and Dillon Winkler. We wish them every success as they continue their education in pursuit of their dreams.