Year two of the SCUC Education Foundation’s One Community Scholarship Nights was shaping up to be as powerful and exciting as the inaugural season, where four students, two from Samuel Clemens High School and two from Byron P. Steele High School, walked off with $2,000 scholarships for the college or career track of their choice after kicking either a twenty yard field goal on the first attempt or a thirteen yarder on their second opportunity. The kicks are usually attempted between the first and second quarter of a Buffaloes or Knights varsity game.
Working on a truncated schedule in 2024, two students from Clemens had been able to boot the ball through the goalposts for the $2,000, while one Steele student, Ellie Strange, earned a $500 scholarship as a consolation for missing her attempts. Jaden Baird and Archer Rodriguez each won during a Samuel Clemens High School football game in the early part of the season.
But there was an elephant in the room, or the stadium, if you will. Not one of the $2,000 recipients during the first season and a half of the event was a female. It was a glaring disparity, and there was some concern the odds of earning the scholarship prize was tilted against young women.
That was until Anahi Urena’s name was chosen at random to kick at the Steele-Westlake game on September 20, 2024. No one told the Steele senior she couldn’t make it. Sure, she’s a valuable member of the Knights’ soccer team, but she still had to perform when the spotlight was on her. A sweep of her right leg sent the ball soaring through the goalposts, and she became an instant pioneer, and a $2,000 scholarship winner.
“I had to practice a lot because it wasn’t going in the direction I wanted it to go because of the shape of the ball,” Urena said. “But I practiced a lot, and I got through it.” History aside, the ten seconds also changed the trajectory of her circumstances. Suddenly, college now appears as a probability, and not a distant dream.
“It’s amazing. It makes me more excited to keep trying to get into the universities I want to go to,” Urena said. Foremost on her mind is an engineering major, either at the University of Texas or Texas A&M. “It helps a lot financially.”
Urena’s mother, Karina Cortez, inquired about the opportunity for her daughter last year and vowed Anahi would not only be selected, but would kick the twenty-yard field goal. She is now overflowing with gratitude for the entire experience.
“Anahi said it was like a dream! We are so thankful for the Education Foundation for the opportunity they give our seniors,” said Cortez. “They definitely made her feel special from the moment she arrived at the stadium to the end of the kickoff celebration.”
Once the glass ceiling was shattered, so to speak, it quickly became much easier for Urena’s successors to propel the oblong ball into their chance at the oversized checks. Kllysta Dawkins, a senior at Clemens High School, became the second female winner during the Battle of 3009 on September 27th.
Dawkins had a personal session and additional video sessions with a kicking coach, practiced after school, and got additional tips from Buffaloes boys’ soccer coach Myles Salas. Even with all that work and expertise, she still wasn’t sure what her chances were.
“I was shocked,” Dawkins said. “I first thought I didn’t make it. When I saw the ball go up, it looked like it was too flat and not high enough. Then it was, ‘Oh my gosh’ I actually made it.”
With an eye on attending Schreiner University as a nursing major, Kyllysta is grateful for the $2,000 scholarship. “That will cover the (school) meal plan. That’s something else I won’t have to worry about.”
Much of this year’s success is built upon the buzz created by last year’s One Community Scholarship Nights. “We’ve registered almost twice as many students as we did last year, and every student that we contacted was super excited and ready to participate,” said Rebecca Soto, SCUC Education Foundation trustee and retired counselor at Clemens High School. “You can see the excitement in the games now, where the band and cheer and everybody is participating, and the community participation is exciting to see in the stands.”
While splitting the uprights usually elicits a sense of satisfaction and relief from the winning kicker, jubilation is the reaction from the dedicated members of the Education Foundation, who relish the opportunities being provided.
“If you look at the videos and photos, we’re all jumping and screaming,” said Amy Thomas, the SCUC school board’s representative on the Education Foundation. “It’s like our child has won something. We’re all excited for them and their whole family.”
Dawkins’ successful boot occurred during the Battle of 3009 between the first and second quarter. Waiting for her moment was Aryel Lara of Steele, who would be the final SCUC student of the 2024 season to kick for glory - and money.
As Lara’s attempt was launched into the Schertz night, it too seemed like it was destined for greatness. And it was.
“This might have been the easiest scholarship I could have ever gotten,” Lara said. “The other scholarships I’ve applied for involved a lot of writing; but to just go out and kick the ball was exciting, and to do it on football Fridays was just a bonus.”
That moment was magnified a hundredfold because she was escorted out to the kicking tee by Malcolm Brown, Steele Knights gridiron legend who went on to an illustrious career at the University of Texas and a lengthy career in the NFL, most notably with the Los Angeles Rams. He told me he really liked my confidence,” Lara said. “That’s all I needed to go out and do my thing.”
These kicks go beyond the satisfaction of seeing a young man or woman improve their chances at continued education after high school. It has also galvanized the Education Foundation’s efforts at a broader outreach with area businesses, as it continues to build partnerships with the community, strengthening ties and increasing awareness of buy-in for public education.
“The committee did a fantastic job this year of securing sponsors,” said Soto. “If we’re able to get a few more sponsors, I think we would have the opportunity to offer it for more games next year.”
Thomas echoed those sentiments, and believes the word more has broader implications. “Who knows? Maybe the scholarship award can increase to a bigger number. The more people realize we’re helping students to college or their career choice, I think eventually we can possibly offer more money.”