The scholarship recipients are part of this year’s 21 high school scholarships from The Howard Hughes Corporation, an educational funding initiative which began in the 1980s
The Howard Hughes Corporation, developer of the award-winning master planned community, The Woodlands, has awarded two scholarships on behalf of the Howard Hughes Executive Club to local high school graduates to pursue their college aspirations. This is the third year the Executive Club scholarships have been awarded, and they are part of 21 high school scholarships awarded this year, an education tradition which the developer has funded since the 1980s.
Established in 2019, The Howard Hughes Executive Club is a network of esteemed business partners, which are comprised of major tenants in one of the many Howard Hughes Class A and AAA office buildings in The Woodlands, who are dedicated to fostering community, innovation and growth through grants, charity donations and scholarships.
The Howard Hughes Executive Club acknowledged the entrepreneurial spirit of two high school seniors in The Woodlands with scholarship opportunities. Judged by educational staff, the scholarship criteria included an essay with a topic of developing a business in The Woodlands.
“The Howard Hughes Corporation has invested in bright young minds through scholarship awards in support of higher education endeavors of local graduating high school seniors,” said Jim Carman, President – Houston Region for Howard Hughes. “We congratulate this year’s recipients on their accomplishments and wish them a future filled with success as they embark on goals to further their education. The Howard Hughes Corporation believes in helping the promising youth of today build great futures through investing in hundreds of educational scholarships for more than 35 years.”
The winners of the Executive Club college scholarships for 2022 are Isabella Carlin of The Woodlands College Park High School and Ethan Brumberger of The Woodlands High School. Excerpts from their scholarship essay submissions are as follows:
Isabella Carlin – Senior Scholarship Recipient, The Woodlands College Park High School
Business Idea: The Woodlands Junior Newspaper
My experience living in The Woodlands for the past eight years has been unique and enjoyable. I view The Woodlands as a hub of arts, entertainment, family living, and education. As a budding writer, I value the diversity and spirit of my community and have found joy writing articles about The Woodlands for my high school newspaper. If I could start a business in the community, I would establish “The Woodlands Junior Newspaper”.
The Woodlands Junior Newspaper would be a non-profit organization for aspiring writers ages
8-18. Participants would have the opportunity to learn the art of journalism and pen articles about their schools, Woodlands news, sports, and any other category they would like. Additionally, as the modern media world is expanding, members would also be able to film broadcasts, produce podcasts, and utilize photography. The organization would be led by local mentors who dedicate their time such as teachers and retired journalists in the area. There would be no fee to join, but local fundraisers would be hosted so that the organization could earn money so they could pay for website fees and equipment. This organization would meet twice a month as an opportunity for students to collaborate on their work and seek advice from industry professionals. Club leaders would guide members through the process of news writing from brainstorming, and interviewing, to editing and advertising their work.
My goal with The Woodlands Junior Newspaper is that the next generation of journalists will have the opportunity to learn industry skills and get involved with the community. I also believe that this experience would teach ethical reporting practices and be a vessel for change in the greater Woodlands community.
Ethan Brumberger – Senior Scholarship Recipient, The Woodlands High School
Business Idea: Innovative Rain Harvesting
Having been born and raised in The Woodlands, I am proud of the emphasis our community puts on greenspaces and conservation. From the annual Earth Day GreenUp and Arbor Day Tree Giveaway to the Adopt-A-Path program and curbside recycling, residents of The Woodlands care about being good stewards of our natural resources. I believe there is an opportunity to incorporate that sense of civic responsibility with a conservation-oriented business focused on rain harvesting.
Due to our location in the Piney Woods of East Texas, The Woodlands receives a significant amount of rainfall in most years. However, our precipitation tends to fall as occasional heavy downpours separated by weeks of hot, rainless weather during the summer. I have often thought about how ironic it is that we can suffer from flooding and drought conditions in the same year. I realized there was a way to take advantage of those downpours and reduce the impact of those droughts when my family installed gutters and rain barrels several years ago. As my family utilized that rain catchment system to reduce our own water consumption, I saw the potential for a community-wide impact if someone would tack the idea through a private-business approach.
The weakness in do-it-yourself rain harvesting is its limited practical use for most properties. Once water has accumulated in a barrel, it can only be distributed through a handheld hose. That is fine for some homeowners on a small scale, but rain harvesting will never reach its full potential unless it is adopted by many more homeowners, as well as businesses. To make rain catchment systems practical for most residents and businesses, the collected water would need to attach to their in-ground sprinkler system, but my business proposal solves those problems.
I believe my proposed rain harvesting business would be successful not only because residents of The Woodlands are aware of and care about water conservation for its own sake, but also because the cost of an automated rain catchment system would be at least partly recuperated through the money one saved on water bills. Those savings could potentially be enhanced by lobbying local Municipal Utility Districts for financial incentives connected to the installation of such systems. I hope The Woodlands Executive Club agrees that our community would benefit from a business aimed at the widespread adoption of harvesting and utilizing rainwater.
Isabella Carlin plans to attend Villanova University, and Ethan Brumberger plans to attend Texas A&M University. Congratulations Isabella and Ethan!