The Mr.Big Trout Scholarship was launched in 2008 to promote fish conservation in and around Corpus Christi, Texas. We are able to accomplish this by providing the scholarship to college students participating in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ( TPWD ) Student Summer Internship Program. Working with the Marine Biology Department of Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and the TPWD, each applicant is intensively interviewed and filtered down to the most deserving students.
For more information on the TPWD summer internship program check out this website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/.../program_info.phtml


2009 - JessLee Sanchez
    Our second recipient of the Mr.Big Trout Scholarship is JessLee Sanchez. Inspired after attending the Texas Ocelot Festival several years ago, he has made wildlife conservation his life's passion.
JessLee has already served with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife at Laguna Atascosa, helping to conserve the endangered Kemps Ridley Sea Turtles. Thanks to this scholarship, he will be attending the Student Summer Internship Program. Through this inernship, he'll be able to expand his knowledge, make new experiences and open new doors of possibilities. All enabling him to continue pursuing his passion for conservation.


2008 - Kelly Emerson
    Mr.Emerson was the first recipient of the Mr.Big Trout Scholarship. Through this scholarship, he attended the Texas Parks and Wildlife Student Summer Internship Program. During his internship, Kelly received valuable hands-on experience with the sampling crew in the Upper Laguna Madre.
He will be able to take the knowledge from this summer internship and better position himself to secure a job in the industry and make an impact on the conservation efforts both here in Corpus Christi and around the globe.