Creed Ford III Memorial Scholarship Application
Scholarship Sponsored by Texas Restaurant Association
Overview
This scholarship supports Texas residents pursuing degree programs in foodservice or hospitality. Applicants may attend schools either inside or outside Texas.
Who is eligible
- Must be a resident of Texas (attendance at an out-of-state school is permitted).
- Enrolled in an accredited degreed program in foodservice or hospitality.
- Registered full-time: at least 12 semester credit hours. Of those, a minimum of 3 credit hours per semester must be in foodservice or hospitality management.
- Participated in the ProStart culinary arts program in high school.
- Maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.75 and a major GPA of 3.50. For high school seniors applying, the overall GPA minimum is 2.75.
- Demonstrate potential to be an asset to the foodservice industry; personal goals and career plans should reflect this.
- Must provide proof of enrolled hours (after the last drop date) each semester before scholarship funds will be released.
Ineligible applicants and payment limits
- Previous recipients of this scholarship cannot receive it again.
- College seniors in their final semester are not eligible.
- Scholarship funds are not disbursed for summer terms.
How applications are evaluated
The selection committee will score applications based on:
- Spelling and punctuation
- Grade point average and ACT/SAT results
- Class ranking (only for high school seniors)
- Honors and community involvement
- Responses to essay questions
- Strength and relevance of references
- Industry-related work experience, including 1–5 years working in foodservice
Required documents (must be official and follow instructions)
- Official transcript from your current high school or college/university. College applicants must submit transcripts covering at least the previous two academic years (freshmen must also include high school transcripts).
- Two signed letters of recommendation:
- One from a current or former employer (must be on company letterhead and include the recommender’s signature across the sealed envelope flap).
- One from an official at your high school, culinary academy, or current university (must be on school letterhead and include the recommender’s signature across the sealed envelope flap).
Deadline and disqualification policy
All application materials — including the online application, letters of reference, and official transcripts — must be uploaded by March 31, 2025. Submissions received after that date, incomplete packages, or applications that do not follow the stated instructions will be disqualified.