Peyton Steele, a Jerry S. Rawls College of Business energy commerce student, has been awarded the competitive 2018-2019 Dallas Association of Petroleum Landmen Scholarship.
The organization is highly selective about recipients, giving the award to one student each at Texas Tech University and University of Oklahoma.
"I was very fortunate to be the student chosen for the DAPL Texas Tech Scholarship," Steele said.
Throughout the semester, Steele had been actively applying for scholarships offered by groups related to the oil and gas industry. He said he was privileged to be offered the DAPL scholarship without formally submitting an application to the organization. DAPL personally contacted Steele due to his qualifying performance inside and outside of Rawls College.
The individual who contacted Steele and offered him the scholarship was Reid Zambardino, the publication director for DAPL.
"We felt he was the most deserving candidate to receive the scholarship," Zambardino said.
Steele received an offer letter from DAPL explaining this scholarship was established to recognize outstanding full-time students enrolled in energy commerce within the Rawls College of Business who have achieved positive academic records.
The Rawls student said he appreciates the association for investing in his education
and future. Steele said he dreams of a career in the oil and gas industry. His ambition
and academic focus can be traced back to an early age; he graduated from high school
in the top five percent of his class.
During his first year of college, Steele successfully managed a rigorous academic
schedule while playing football for Texas Tech.
At the end of his 2018 semester, Steele decided that academic success is most important, so he retired from football. He has since worked to gain hands-on experience in the energy industry and accepted a 2019 summer internship position at Concho Resources in Midland.
The sophomore was born into a family of Red Raiders and knew from an early age he wanted to attend Texas Tech. He said he is thrilled to receive this scholarship because it will help carry on his family's legacy at the university.
"I feel at home in the Rawls College of Business, and I have tremendous support through the Energy Commerce Program and the Rawls Business Leadership Program," he said. "I am excited about my future studies and the opportunities that will be afforded to me as a result."