Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Five Social Work Students in Texas Receive $25,000 in Scholarships for Mental Health Studies

August 4, 2008

AUSTIN,Texas – Five graduate students of accredited social work programs in Texas will receive a total of $25,000 as recipients of the 2008 Ima Hogg Scholarship for Mental Health.

The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health awards up to five $5,000 scholarships annually to students who demonstrate a strong commitment to providing mental health services after graduation. Applicants must be entering the second year of an accredited graduate social work program in Texas and must be nominated by the head of their program.

The scholarship program was created in 1956 at the request of the foundation's founder, Miss Ima Hogg, to address the need for more trained social workers to deliver quality mental health services to people in Texas.

The 2008 recipients are:

Elizabeth Huntington, The University of Texas at Austin's School of Social Work. Huntington's career goal is to improve public school system programs and services for children with mental health issues. Her experience working with children includes managing an after-school volunteer program, tutoring for AmeriCorps and providing counseling services through an internship with the Con Mi MADRE program in Austin. She also has a bachelor's degree in family studies and human development. Huntington said the master's degree she is earning will enable her to work toward strengthening school social work programs, bridging the gap between school systems and community mental health services, and helping families create healthy environments for children.
Tenisha Hunter, The University of Texas at Austin's School of Social Work. Hunter's goal after graduation is to provide clinical mental health services to African Americans. In May she completed an internship at the Bastrop Family Crisis Center, where she counseled victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. She also has participated in studies on mental health issues related to brain injuries and social services provided to survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Her bachelor's degree is in psychology. Hunter said the scholarship will allow her to enhance her skills as a clinical social worker and further her goal of encouraging the African-American community, one family at a time, to get educated about and be open to accessing mental health services.
Rosanne Dominguez, The University of Texas at San Antonio's Department of Social Work.Dominguez is passionate about working with people who have experienced emotional trauma and with advocacy groups to improve mental health services and policies. A bilingual student who is fluent in English and Spanish, Dominguez also is committed to the goal of improving the cultural competency of Texas mental health services. In May Dominguez completed an internship at Z-Place, a faith-based community center that provides childcare and vocational training in Bexar County. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology.
Warren Ponder, The University of Texas at Arlington's School of Social Work. Ponder served a year of duty as an infantryman in Operation Iraqi Freedom before being honorably discharged in 2007. While Ponder has extensive clinical experience and an impressive undergraduate academic resume, he said his military experience led him to pursue a career providing mental health services to veterans and active duty personnel in Texas. Ponder also worked in a residential treatment center, juvenile justice center and psychology research laboratory while earning a bachelor's degree in psychology before enlisting in the U.S. Army.
Sarahtyah Wilson, Our Lady of the Lake University's Worden School of Social Service. After graduation, Wilson plans to work within the military community, especially with soldiers returning from combat and their families. As an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps, she held management positions in health care services and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. During her first year of graduate school, Wilson held internships in a Texas state representative's office and in a family services agency in San Antonio. She has a bachelor's degree in criminology with a concentration in victim services.

The Hogg Foundation was founded in 1940 by Ima Hogg, daughter of former Texas Governor James Stephen Hogg, and today provides grants and programs to support mental health consumer services, research, policy analysis and public education projects in Texas. The foundation is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.