Today@Sam Article
SHSU Student Receives Regent Scholar Award
Dec. 7, 2023
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd
Dedicated students know better than to let a scholarship opportunity pass them by, and Whitney Stahl is no different. When a professor told her about $5,000 up for grabs, she went through the lengthy application without hesitation. Little did she know she had applied for the Texas State University System Regent’s Student Scholar Award, one of the highest honors bestowed upon students.
Even though she arrived at Sam Houston State University during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stahl dove headfirst into her college career. Thanks to the small class sizes, she was able to build relationships with her professors and have them as mentors on her academic journey. It is thanks to these professors that she learned of a student assistant position at the university controller’s office and of the Regent Scholar Award.
“I did not know that the Regent’s Award existed, I did not know what the Board of Regents was,” Stahl said. “I got an email from one of my professors and she said, ‘I just got this email from the dean, I really think you should apply for this scholarship.’ At the time, I didn’t know it was an award and I thought we’ll just see what happens.”
After receiving the award, Stahl was thrilled to receive the financial assistance and blown away when she realized the honor that was attached to receiving the award. Her being selected is also outstanding for the university as Stahl is the second consecutive SHSU student to be honored by the Board of Regents.
“I just feel very blessed honestly to have been selected,” Stahl said. “I’ve done a lot of hard work and things throughout my life, and it feels like those are finally paying off and I’m reaping what I sowed into it,” Stahl said. “But it’s also really cool that I have had the chance to represent Sam Houston State’s student body and show off what Sam has.”
Stahl is a member of six campus organizations, performs volunteer work outside of those organizations, holds a student assistant position at the university and maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA. Her service-oriented mind is what drove her to originally pursue psychology before realizing she is better equipped to help people plan out their financial futures as a certified public accountant.
After graduation in the spring of 2024, Stahl is pushing forward and continuing her education through SHSU’s Master of Accounting program. She said the award will make all the difference to her as she continues to independently finance her education.
“It’s basically just helping me continue my education so that I can achieve my goals of helping others in the future,” Stahl said. “It also opened up a lot of doors because I got to meet so many people through the different events they held. That was just a really cool experience of getting to meet others and networking because I think networking is a really great thing, especially from this award that I can use in the future to benefit others.”
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