Local Oil Company Launches Recession-friendly Scholarship Program

Feb. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- HOUSTON, TX – Woodlands Oil and Gas, a private oil and gas exploration and production company, will grant $1,000 scholarships to fifteen Montgomery County high school seniors with a 2.5 grade point average and up. Scholarships will be awarded on the basis of financial need and academic performance, and will focus on students who are working while going to school. “We understand the past year has been extremely difficult for so many families,” says Woodlands Oil and Gas President John Ehrman. “Many kids who normally would devote their time to their studies have been forced to go to work to help support their families. That’s why we are not only considering A and B students but also C+ students, and we will concentrate on students who are disciplined enough to maintain their grades while holding down a job.”  

To ensure that students will stay in school, Woodlands Oil and Gas will work together with members of The Woodlands Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), where Ehrman has taught Adult Bible study classes for 14 years. Church members will volunteer to serve as mentors. “The mentors will stay in touch with the students, monitor their performance and assist them as they apply for college and prepare for transition,” says TWCC member John Carter, who serves as head of the Scholarship Review Team.
 
Helping students is nothing new for Ehrman. He holds several graduate degrees and a degree in petroleum engineering but says he realizes that financial difficulties can discourage young people from pursuing their goals. “I know what hard times are and what it’s like to be on the short end of the stick. Sometimes all you need is a little help to get back on track and lift yourself out of your problems.”  

In the mid-1990s, Ehrman partnered with members of The Woodlands Christian Church in a similar program, providing more than 150 students with scholarships.  He often encounters college graduates who were recipients of those scholarships. “It is a great feeling to have a former scholarship student come up to you and tell you what you did for them,” he says. “You cannot imagine the satisfaction that such a moment gives you.”

Seniors at Montgomery County High Schools who are interested in applying for a scholarship can contact their high school counselors for an application form or contact Woodlands Oil and Gas at 281-419-8686.

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