Simmonses establish Dean's Scholar Award

Kelly (Christy) ’99 and Cory Simmons have established the Kelly ’99 and Cory Simmons Dean’s Scholar Award. Their generous gift will be used to provide one or more scholarships to high school seniors who excelled academically, have demonstrated outstanding leadership, are entering their freshman year and who are pursuing an undergraduate degree in the Texas A&M University College of Engineering. 

Kelly visited Texas A&M in high school for an honors student summer invitational. As a National Merit Scholar finalist, Kelly was considering many different options when it came to which college she wanted to attend. However, after that first visit, she knew it was where she would attend. 

“My mom came to pick me up that summer and I said, “Mom I’m going to Texas A&M,”’ Kelly said. “My mom responded and said I could go if I got a scholarship.”

Kelly did receive a scholarship to attend Texas A&M, which ultimately inspired her to give back to the university. “I set it as a goal for myself that I would pay that generosity forward and do for someone else what my donor did for me,” she said. 

Kelly’s time at Texas A&M was a guiding hand into the life and accomplishments she has today. “It wasn't until a few years into college that I even realized the opportunities that a degree in engineering would open up in my life,” she said. “For me, a degree in engineering from Texas A&M gave me the means to give back.”

Another memory that continues to stick with her, was her experiences with one of her professors, Dr. Dan Hanson. “Dr. Hanson was the type of professor that would do anything for his students. From holding office hours at 6:30 in the morning to helping me with car trouble, he was truly an amazing man,” Kelly said.

Kelly also said she felt that donating to education was the most impactful way to help students. “Education is able to change someone’s life and opportunities. It’s great to donate in other ways as well, but I felt that this was the best way to impact students’ lives,” she said. 

Kelly hopes this scholarship will help students who would otherwise not financially be able to attend college. “We see such a need right now for scholarships and we want these students to believe they can succeed regardless of finances,” she said. “We hope our scholarship sets these students up for success and that they know there are people that believe in them and will motivate them to be the best they can be.”

Since she had been able to attend Texas A&M because of scholarships, Kelly was able to become very involved with many other facets of college life. “I got to be really involved in yearbook, service opportunities and professional organizations; which are the kinds of things that employers and internships look for,” she said. “Without a financial burden, these scholarship recipients can have those same opportunities.”

Kelly graduated from Texas A&M in 1999 with a degree in chemical engineering. She and Cory have a 10-year-old son and they hope that he grows to love Texas A&M as much as they do.