A new scholarship established by the Cleburne Bible Church iServe Missions program for TEAM School graduates has been awarded to the first set of recipients.

             Dayzi Foote and Melissa Mata have been honored with One More for Jesus Scholarships, which will cover up to $5,000 in tuition to Hill College, allowing them to obtain either an associate’s degree and/or industry certification, depending on their choice of study. Foote will begin her studies in the pursuit of a career as a Special Education teacher. Mata has been studying cosmetology at Hill through the dual credit program and will continue in her education journey to become a licensed cosmetologist.

Tony Cashion, who has founded a similar scholarship program for Rio Vista High School graduates, presented the concept to iMission leaders last fall.

“I’ve seen lots of kids who didn’t get the opportunity to go on to college,” Cashion said. “I’ve also seen many kids become disconnected to church. Church attendance, with a parent or guardian, is part of the scholarship criteria.”

“It’s great to see this expanding,” he said. “The $5,000 scholarships we have awarded will get recipients their first two years of college, or certifications that can be obtained with two years of study.”

Nina and Jerry Mangrum, who have served as student mentors at TEAM School through the Teen Leadership program, have been involved in the development of the One More for Jesus Scholarship initiative as Cleburne Bible Church iServe Team members.

“After Tony met with us, we set a budget and now here we are, awarding our first scholarships,” Nina said. “We are very excited. We hope these are the first of many.”

“We are humbled that TEAM School students were chosen to benefit from this scholarship program,” Principal Georgann Storm said. “We are thrilled to see our graduates have the opportunity to continue on to college.”