On Friday, March 28, three trustees from the Sumners Foundation--Brant Martin, Bill Meadows and Mattie Parker--interviewed candidates from Texas Wesleyan University for the Sumners Scholars Program. The eight finalists who were interviewed had been chosen by a preliminary selection committee from nearly 30 applicants for the prestigious program. Sumner's trustees selected three new scholars for the upcoming academic year.

The following students were selected by Sumners Trustees as the Fall 2025 recipients of the Sumners Scholarships:

• Karen Gutierrez
• Daylan Harris
• Kehinde Hopkins

These three will join the two continuing Sumners Scholars-Ariel Armstrong and Micaelli (Mica) Kate Magday-in the program.

The interviews were followed by a lunch in honor of this year's graduating scholars, Aubrey Hanson and Cesar Espino. At the lunch, Aubrey, a double major in political science and history, spoke about how the Sumners experience pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped prepare her for entrance to law school in Fall 2026. Cesar, who is completing a BS in history with secondary teaching certification, plans on teaching high school social studies and serving as a soccer coach. He mentioned that opportunities, such as a summer internship with the League of United Latin American Citizens through the Fund for American Studies (TFAS) in Washington, D.C. last summer provided him with a level of depth of study that would have been impossible without the Sumners Scholarship.

In addition to a generous scholarship, Texas Wesleyan Sumners Scholars attend the Texas Tribune Festival and the Sumners Scholars Weekend each year. Scholars also have the opportunity to participate in various lunches and lectures sponsored by organizations such as Braver Angels, Former Members of Congress and DFW World Affairs Council. Finally, scholars also serve the community through volunteer opportunities. 

The endowed Sumners Scholarship Program was established at Texas Wesleyan University in 1994. Since that time, many TXWES students have been honored as Sumners Scholars. The scholarship carries not only a significant stipend but also various extracurricular opportunities specifically designed to develop scholars' leadership potential. 

Students apply to the Sumners program during their sophomore year, and the scholarship takes effect when they are juniors the subsequent fall semester. For more information about the Sumners Scholarship, visit txwes.edu/academics/sumners.