AUSTIN, Texas – The Hogg Foundation is pleased to announce the 2015 recipients of the Ima Hogg Scholarship award, an annual scholarship of $5,000 to support graduate social work students in Texas. The scholarships are awarded to second year graduate students who demonstrate a strong commitment to providing mental health services after graduation in Texas.

The Ima Hogg Scholarships were established in 1956 to address the need for more trained social workers to deliver quality mental health services for Texans. Scholarship recipients must attend one of the 14 Texas graduate schools of social work that are accredited or pending accreditation by the national Council on Social Work Education. Scholarship recipients are nominated by the heads of their social work programs.

“Since 1956, there has been a recognized need to strengthen this crucial sector of the mental health workforce,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation and associate vice president for diversity and community engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. “With the help of these schools of social work, we have found a pool of individuals who are committed to dedicating their talents to mental health care in the state.”

The 2015 Ima Hogg Scholarship recipients are:

  • Erika Alcala, University of Texas at El Paso
  • Catherine Baeza, University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Halie Domingue, University of Houston
  • Irene Fuentes, Abilene Christian University
  • John Garcia, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • Jammie Kelly, Texas A&M Commerce
  • Dharti Patel, Stephen F. Austin State University
  • Shana Rubenstein, University of Texas at Austin
  • Samantha Sada, Our Lady of the Lake University
  • Hector Ventura, University of Texas at Arlington
  • Amy Williams, Texas State University
  • Desire Winslow, West Texas A&M University

The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.