East Texas students receive scholarships – Longview News-Journal
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Updated: June 22, 2025 @ 5:30 am
Recent Longview High School graduate Carolyn Purdum won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. (Courtesy Photo)
Recent Longview High School graduate Omika Patel won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. (Courtesy Photo)
Recent Sabine High School graduate Joe Ray won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. (Courtesy Photo)
Recent Longview High School graduate Carolyn Purdum won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. (Courtesy Photo)
Recent Longview High School graduate Omika Patel won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. (Courtesy Photo)
Recent Sabine High School graduate Joe Ray won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority. (Courtesy Photo)
Three recent Gregg County graduates each won a $2,000 Linda Thomas Safe Driving Scholarship from the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority.
Scholarships went to Carolyn Purdum and Omika Patel, who are both Longview High School graduates; and Joe Ray a Sabine High School graduate.
The scholarship encourages area high school students to understand and discuss the importance of safe driving practices to local communities. Winners were selected based on safe driving-themed essays along with academic and extracurricular achievements.
In her winning essay, Purdum focused on how laws about cell phone use while driving are not consistently enforced. The Longview High School graduate plans to attend the The University of Texas at Austin to major in communications: radio-television-film.
Patel’s essay talked about being in the car when her family’s vehicle collided with a drunk driver and the consequences of reckless choices behind the wheel. She plans to study public health at the University of Texas at Austin.
In his winning essay, Ray emphasized how there is no real way to ensure everyone is getting the same driving education, practice, or experience with parent-based driver’s education courses. He plans to attend Louisiana Tech University to major in kinesiology.
Longview-area residents Grace Chaney, a student at LeTourneau University, and Luz Torrez, a student at UT Tyler, were awarded academic scholarships from the East Texas chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs.
Each student received a $2,000 scholarship
To be eligible for a TXCPA East Texas scholarship, applicants must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0, be a full-time student and be a declared accounting major with at least nine hours of completed accounting courses. Recipients are selected based on grade history and the ability to make a contribution to the accounting profession.
Every year, TXCPA East Texas hosts the Tal Glenn Memorial Golf Tournament to raise scholarship money for outstanding accounting students from East Texas or attending East Texas universities. Since its inception in 1996, TXCPA East Texas has provided over $300,000 in scholarships.
VeraBank awarded 35 scholarships to local college-bound graduates through its annual Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) scholarship program. The scholarships totaled $35,000.
Since the inception of the program in 2005, the bank has awarded more than $252,000 in scholarships to 401 local high school students who have met the established criteria. To qualify, students must reside in a low-to-moderate income household, maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher, and plan to continue higher education at a college in the fall. Recipients are selected with input from high school counselors who identify students that meet the academic and financial guidelines and show strong character and future potential.
“VeraBank is proud to support students who represent the future of our communities as they embark on the next chapter in their journey,” said Brad Tidwell, VeraBank Chief Executive Officer. “We congratulate all 2025 graduates and wish you success as you step into a future of limitless potential.”
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