TExAs Fast Scholars Program

The TExAS FAST (Texas Experiential Learning and Scholarship program for Food and Agricultural Science Training) Scholars Program looks to create inclusive learning environments through experiential learning, scholarship, collaborative educational opportunities, and career training within the Environmental Science and Sustainability (ESS) program at OLLU. 

 
Benefits of Program participation include:  

• 24 months of $1,000 monthly stipends  
• Two-years of paid room and board scholarships to live on OLLU’s campus as part of the ESS Living Learning Community
• One month paid (expenses) summer experience at OLLU (room and board included) after freshman year. 
• Paid summer research experience (expenses) after Sophomore year (out of state or country opportunities available) 
• Leadership opportunities junior or senior year  
• Paid internship senior year 
• Access to competitive academic scholarships 
• Assigned peer, academic, and professional mentors
• Networking experiences 
• Career preparation and exploration workshops

TExAS FAST aims to increase career readiness by reducing financial burden and providing learning experiences that make students highly competitive in the job market. Funding is provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the “From learning to leading: Cultivating the next generation of diverse food and agriculture professions (NextGen)” program.

Eligibility

To be eligible for participation in the program, potential scholars must declare a major OR minor in ESS, be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, have a high school GPA of 2.5 or higher, be an admitted incoming freshman to OLLU for the 2025-2026 academic year, and be interested in pursuing a career in the field of environmental science.

Applications are now open. Students can apply for both the TExAS FAST Scholar Program and the Academic Scholarship. Fifteen (15) spots in the scholars program are available and twenty (20) academic scholarships. Priority deadline for both scholarships is March 1, 2025. The applications will close March 31. Students will be notified of awards on a rolling basis after March 1.