Futures Its essential and its expensive. These two things are indisputably true of higher education. Even here in Texas, where in-state tuition is among the lowest in the country, tuition increases in the past several years, coupled with a reduction in available federal and state aid, have made it very difficult for students and their families to pay for college.
Students often interrupt their studies for a year or more to earn income to pay for college.
And those who finish are left with substantial debts to go with their degrees. Penni Davila, Luis Gonzalez, and Clark Laughlin are lucky. They are three of the beneficiaries of scholarship programs begun by local UH alumni at two major Houston corporations, Houston Industries and Dow Chemical. The alumni at both of these companies provide yearly scholarships to the dependents of company employees. The awards go to employees dependents.