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Through 2029, you can take advantage of a unique matching program to provide critical scholarship support to Aggies like Jada Greenidge ’26.

By Dorian Martin ’06

Photography by Josh Huskin

Through 2029, you can take advantage of a unique matching program to provide critical scholarship support to deserving Aggies. Discover the details below!

WHO: The Texas A&M Foundation and Texas A&M University have partnered on a matching program to assist individuals, groups and corporations in establishing Foundation Excellence Award (FEA) scholarships.
 

Meet Jada Greenidge ’26

Jon L. Hagler ’58 Foundation Excellence Award scholarship recipient and animal science major

As a high school freshman, Jada Greenidge ’26 helplessly watched her beloved older brother suffer convulsions from a drug overdose. “At that moment, I realized I needed to step up and become my own inspiration,” the La Porte, Texas, resident remembered. “I would be the deciding factor in how my future turned out.”

Fortunately, Greenidge had a strong role model in her mother, who has juggled caring for her children, working at Memorial Hermann and attending college as a single parent. “She’s been in school since I was in elementary school, and she graduated with a psychology degree last December,” Greenidge said proudly. “She’s always told us, ‘I really want you to go to college and not worry about working, going to school and having kids, because it’s hard.’”

Her mother’s commitment to furthering her own education also introduced the Aggie to what college is like. “I grew up loving math, and I think that mostly comes from my mom going back to college and having to do her basics,” Greenidge said. “Because I was so young, she couldn’t leave me at home, so she took me to her college classes. She’d give me a few math problems on a piece of paper, and then we’d talk to the professor at the end of class.”

When it came time for her own college journey, Greenidge—who grew up caring for dogs, cats, lizards and frogs—knew she wanted to attend Texas A&M and become a veterinarian. “I remember visiting the campus when I was 12 and thinking, ‘That’s where I’m going to go,’” she recounted.

Now, thanks to the Jon L. Hagler ’58 Foundation Excellence Award and other scholarships, her freshman-year expenses are covered, which allowed both mother and daughter to focus on their respective studies to fulfill their potential.

“My parents always told me, ‘Hard work beats talent every day,’” said Greenidge, who finished high school ranked sixth out of a graduating class of 435. “My scholarships allow me to completely focus on my studies so I can make my dreams of owning my own veterinary practice and traveling the world to help large animals come true. I’m very grateful for all the support.”

WHAT: FEA scholarships provide critical financial support to promising students from underserved groups or economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. Since the FEA program’s establishment in 1999, generous supporters have given more than $15 million in gifts and pledges, providing thousands of Aggies financial support as they earned their college diplomas. Approximately 500 Aggies currently receive an FEA scholarship annually.

WHEN: The matching program began in 2021 and aims to support 1,500 more Aggies with FEA scholarships by fall 2029.

WHERE: FEA scholarships can benefit Aggies who attend Texas A&M’s College Station campus or Aggies by the Sea enrolled at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

WHY: Texas is the nation’s fastest-growing state, and its citizenry is among the most diverse. According to the Texas Demographic Center, the state’s population grew by 4 million residents between 2010 and 2020—and 95.3% of that growth was attributed to people of color (Hispanic, Black, Asian and indigenous communities).

The FEA program helps Texas A&M’s classrooms reflect the state’s rapidly changing demographics by giving the university a vital resource to recruit and retain promising students. Ultimately, FEA scholarships help Texas A&M fulfill its land-grant mission by educating a well-qualified, diverse workforce prepared to succeed and assume leadership roles in an increasingly complex world.

HOW: You can utilize university matching funds to create your own FEA through 2029. The matching program offers a non-endowed scholarship option that supports one Aggie for four years or an endowed option that will support Aggies forever. You can customize your FEA by designating specific recipient qualifications—such as major, college or hometown—and naming the scholarship in honor of a person, class or organization.

Non-Endowed Option:

A $10,000 gift will create your non-endowed FEA scholarship, payable immediately or at $2,500 per year for four years. The university will match your gift, making the total value $20,000 and generating an annual stipend of $5,000 for recipients over four years. 

Endowed Option:

A $50,000 endowed FEA will support Aggies in perpetuity. The current matching program supports donor gifts fulfilled within one year of the initial pledge. The university will match the endowment’s earnings during its first four years, generating a larger annual stipend for recipients.
 

Interested in leveraging this matching program to create an FEA? Contact Al Pulliam ’87, assistant vice president for development, at the bottom of this page.

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Contact

  • Al Pulliam '87

  • Assistant Vice President for Development
  • Scholarships
  • Call: 979.209.0867

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