José Rodriguez did not have high hopes for college when he started applying.

His high school’s college advisor told him his options were limited. As a child of first generation American parents, he felt stuck.

“I was kind of bummed out,” Rodriguez said. “My parents were pretty set on me going to college, but I didn’t want to put that burden on them of having to pay for college.”

Rodriguez, an accounting junior, is now one of 53 Jindal Young Scholars Program members. The program, he said, has significantly changed his life for the better.

“When I first mentioned it to my mom that day, when I got that email saying I was accepted into this scholarship, she cried,” he said. “She was hugging me, my dad as well. It was an opportunity that was given to me when not a lot of opportunities were given.”

Established in 2018, the Jindal Young Scholars Program (JYSP) is a partnership between the Naveen Jindal School of Management and the Dallas Independent School District that guarantees four year tuition, room, board and expenses for qualified students at five participating high schools: Moisés E. Molina High School, Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, H. Grady Spruce High School, W.T. White High School and the Marvin E. Robinson School of Business and Management at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center.

The scholarship program aims to enhance the academic, social, and emotional growth of high school students in Dallas ISD, ultimately boosting their preparedness for success in higher education and professional environments. Billy Schewee, director of JYSP, said most scholarship recipients have been first generation college students.

“The impact that has had on not only their lives but their entire family’s lives is priceless,” he said. “These students are driven and motivated and, in many cases, they just didn’t have necessarily the opportunity or the means to use their talents and gifts.”

High school students are first introduced to the program through sessions held at participating schools on topics such as financial aid, college applications and résumé workshops. In the fall, high school seniors can take a field trip to the UT Dallas campus, tour a residence hall and eat lunch in the dining hall.

“The American Dream”

Lesly Vazquez, an accounting junior in JYSP, likes to stay involved on and off campus.

“There’s so many things to do here,” she said. “I don’t get bored.”

Along with being in JYSP, she is a Nova ambassador at the Jindal School, an ALPFA (Association of Latino Professionals for America) member, and volunteers for Embrace Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for neglected children, and other organizations in her free time.

“Not a lot of people are fortunate enough to say, ‘Hey, I have a full ride,’” Vazquez said. “I don’t have to worry about going to work while in school.”

As the first in her family to go to college, Vazquez said education is essential because it sets higher standards for the next generation. After she graduates, Vazquez said she wants to pursue her master’s in accounting at UT Dallas, pass the CPA exam and help her sister when it is time for her to go to college.

Education reflects the sacrifices and hard work my parents did to bring us to the American Dream. – Lesly Vazquez

“Education reflects the sacrifices and hard work my parents did to bring us to the American Dream,” she said. “I get to go back and say, ‘Mom, I did it, and I did it because of you with your support – and not only did I succeed, you succeeded with me as well.’”

“It’s my turn”

Jacob Gonzalez, BS’22, MS’22, is an auditing associate at KPMG and a member of the second cohort of Jindal Young Scholars. Because of JYSP, he doesn’t have to worry about paying off student loans early in his career.

“The amount of stress that it takes off of me to be able to live my life and not worry about thousands of dollars of debt has really, really helped me out,” he said. “It allowed me to focus on what I really wanted to do.

After working at KPMG for a few years, Gonzalez said he hopes to open his own accounting firm focused on helping small, minority-owned businesses and promoting financial literacy before eventually opening a no-kill animal sanctuary.

“I’m excited to finally be in a position where I can lend out my hand because plenty of hands were lent out to me to help me up,” he said. “I think it’s my turn to lend my hand now.”

His younger sister, Emily, is a freshman at the Jindal School and a member of the newest JYSP cohort.

The amount of stress that it takes off of me to be able to live my life and not worry about thousands of dollars of debt has really, really helped me out. – Jacob Gonzalez

“A way out”

Maria Fuentes, a finance sophomore in JYSP, learned about the program during her freshman year of high school when members from the first cohort came to speak.

“The cohort was like three students back then that were able to get the scholarship, and that just really inspired me,” she said.

However, Fuentes said her educational options after high school were even more limited than others. As a student from a low-income family without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, a U.S. Government program created to protect eligible young adults brought to the country as children, she was ineligible for most other scholarships.

“I remember when I asked if DACA would be one of the requirements to have a scholarship, and when I learned that it wasn’t, it felt like a great relief,” she said.

From a young age, Fuentes said she has seen education as a key to financial freedom.

“The sky’s the limit”

This May, JYSP welcomed its largest cohort with 19 scholarship recipients representing all five partner DISD schools. JYSP high school graduates have gone on to attend 26 colleges and universities in the program’s six-year history.

There are thousands of students who could benefit from this program, and they represent dozens of schools in multiple school districts. I think the sky’s the limit. – Billy Schewee

The 2023-24 academic year goals are to recruit 700 high school students across all the partner schools. Plans are also in the works to bring the Richardson Independent School District into the program, Schewee said.