HOUSTON – KPRC 2 and American Furniture Warehouse are surprising 20 deserving high school seniors with $2,500 scholarships in 2025. All students selected for scholarships have been nominated by their high schools.
Zander Smith, a senior at Hull-Daisetta High School, is the first KPRC 2 Senior Scholarship recipient from the Class of 2025.
Smith battled a long illness during his freshman and sophomore years of high school, which caused his grades to slip as he lost the equivalent of eleven months of in-person instruction. Remarkably, he doubled up on course work and fought his way back to the top of his class academically to earn the valedictorian title.
Smith says, “To gain back what I lost, I started playing sports, working in ministry and attending academic competitions again.” He became more active in cross country and has also participated in basketball and band. Smith volunteers at church camps and Vacation Bible School.
In the fall, Smith plans to attend Lamar University in pursuit of a Civil Engineering degree with a specific interest in structural engineering. He hopes to continue his education with a Master’s degree after completing his Bachelor’s program.
You can see the scholarship surprise for Zander Smith in the video player at the top of this article.