The 26th year of the nationally-recognized Texas Rangers Richard Greene Scholarship Program is drawing to a close as graduation time grows near.
Launched in 1997 in a collaboration between the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation and the Arlington Independent School District, the objective was to annually award a promising student from each of Arlington’s six high schools with a $10,000 college scholarship.
The total investment to date of the Rangers Foundation, under the leadership of Executive Director Karin Morris, now exceeds $1.5 Million. But the program is far more than the financial investment in the scholars.
The main purpose was, and is, the development of leadership skills and community engagements for the selected students who had demonstrated both academic achievement and potential to make a difference in their professional careers and servant leadership in wherever their futures led.
The Rangers originally committed to the program for 20 years, as part of their pledge of community support after the creation of the 1991 public/private partnership and development of The Ballpark in Arlington.
However, after the Rangers were the recipient of the prestigious Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Award for outstanding philanthropic support for their host city, the Rangers decided to continue the program in perpetuity.
Arlington Today asked the AISD program’s enthusiastic faculty member, Alyce Monroe, for a quick summary of this year’s engagements by the scholars. Here’s her response:
“We started the semester breaking into two groups to participate in the Chamber of Commerce’s What’s Your Big Idea Contest. One group tackled the traffic issues in the entertainment district and the other focused on responsible pet ownership.
“This semester they have been with the City of Arlington after finishing up the final round of UTA, AISD, and Mission Arlington rotations. We took a trip to Southwest Airlines with former RG Scholar Kris Hawbaker. We learned about internships, took a trip down the emergency slide, experienced a simulator, and had a glimpse of the day in life at SWA. Kris sets up a great experience with an emphasis on leadership, future employment, and keeping our options open when looking at the next chapter.
“We hosted a Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Java and Jabber event and then attended another one. This networking opportunity provided time for the Scholars to talk to Arlington’s Young Professionals, grow their network, and learn more about different businesses in Arlington.
“We are going to the Tarrant County Courthouse (Commissioner Alisa Simmons’ office) to learn more about voting, how to register, and how to be informed; they are bringing equipment so we can practice!
“Our first rotation with the National Medal of Honor Museum is in April. We will tour the site and the preview center, research different MOH stories, and learn more about the Medal and the values it stands for in our country.
“Our last six weeks will be many group rotations including working at River Legacy, Theater Arlington, Levitt Pavilion, another visit with the Medal of Honor Museum for leadership lessons, our last Parks and Recreation rotation, and a trip to Globe Life Field to learn about the actual scholarship.”
“Our outside reading this semester has included a great deal about senioritis (a real thing), and creating good habits with time management, and will end with a reflection about our experience as a whole.”
Their final event will be at the Professional Development Center on Arbrook on May 21 where the scholars will make summary presentations of their full engagements throughout their senior year.
That occasion will provide an opportunity to hear directly from the students and for the audience to observe the kind of maturity and promise they demonstrate as they describe their year-long experiences in the program and their plans for the future.
Then, it’s on to college. These outstanding students had endless choices experiencing the kind of opportunities consistent with all the past Greene Scholars upon their graduation. Ms. Monroe’s quick summary of their current plans: “Chris, Gianna and Isa are for sure TCU. Tivana is going Texas A&M, Daniel to the University of Texas accepted into McCombs school of business, and Kyree chose Morehouse, Atlanta.”
New recipients have now been selected and the whole engagement commences anew with the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.
