JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
When Bradley Ludington, a senior at Randolph High School, attended the Valero Alamo Bowl Dec. 29, 2020, it was not only to see a great football game, he was also there as one of the recipients of a Valero Alamo Bowl scholarship.
The Valero Alamo Bowl scholarship program works with partner universities to award San Antonio area high school and college students an average of $1 million distributed between 140 or more deserving students each year.
Ludington said he has not decided on a university yet but has applied to Baylor, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Stanford and Yale, and many of his applications are still pending.
Growing up, Ludington said he enjoyed studying science and is hoping to major in biology or biochemistry, adding that the scholarship will help pay for eight semesters of tuition.
“I was extremely excited when I realized I was receiving the scholarship,” he said. “This is a huge chunk of money that's going to be incredibly helpful in getting me the education I want.”
The scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, honors received, teacher recommendations, financial need, extracurricular activities, and a written personal narrative.
Bradley is a member of the varsity swimming team and has varsity letters for cross-country as well. He has also obtained his Eagle Scout ranking with the Boy Scouts of America.
Ludington said his scholarship is worth $7,500, and he applied online for consideration and by going through Randolph High School counselor Simone Galeana.
“Bradley is a remarkable young man. He has a great work ethic and unrelenting ambition,” Galeana said. “He consistently exudes sincerity, tenacity and a maturity that is not typical to that of his peers. It is uncommon to find a student who encapsulates all these qualities, coupled with humility, and he is ranked number one out of 121 students in his cohort.”
Even the young man’s father recognized that putting in the time and effort, then meeting the requirements needed to apply for scholarships, was no easy task for the high school student.
“High school seniors, in particular, have huge demands on their time,” said Col. John Ludington, Air Education and Training Command Inspector General. “Routine school activities, extracurricular activities, the stress and strain of impacts from COVID-19, while also applying for multiple colleges, is a huge task."
Galeana said students cannot begin preparing too early for college scholarships.
Students who are interested in applying for the Valero Alamo Bowl Scholarship should be fully engaged in their school’s culture and academics, even during their freshman year of high school, she said.
“Oftentimes, students start acclimating and settle down after their freshman or sophomore year, but this is usually too late in their high school career,” said she said. “Stay curious, be informed and have great follow through.”
While Bradley’s hard work isn’t over, he said this accomplishment has motivated him for his next tier of education, and his father agrees.
“I’m so proud of Bradley for getting everything done and that his hard work and his record of accomplishments were recognized by the Valero Alamo Bowl scholarship committee,” his father said. “Bradley is an exceptional young man. I believe by receiving this scholarship, Bradley has validated the adage -- ‘hard work pays off,’ literally.”