For DonorsFor Applicants

Christopher T. Muschalek Memorial Scholarship

$1,000
1 winner$1,000
Open
Application Deadline
Dec 17, 2024
Winners Announced
Jan 17, 2025
Education Level
Any
Recent Bold.org scholarship winners
Eligibility Requirements
Education Level:
High school, undergraduate, or graduate student
State:
Texas
Field of Study:
History or architecture

Christopher Todd Muschalek was a loving father, husband, son, brother, grandfather and most importantly, a friend. He passed away in early May of 2023 after a 2 year fight with pancreatic cancer.

Christopher was an educator, an architect, a history lover, and was a strong advocate for education. He graduated from the University of Houston-Victoria in 1993 and in 2019, he graduated from UTSA with his Masters in Architecture. His work is seen up and down the Texas coast as well as throughout south Texas.

This scholarship is sponsored by family & friends of Chris and aims to honor the life of Christopher T. Muschalek by supporting students in Texas who share his passions.

Any high school, undergraduate, or graduate student in the state of Texas who is pursuing history or architecture may apply for this scholarship.To apply, tell us why you’re studying history or architecture and when you knew that this path was right for you.

Selection Criteria:
Ambition, Drive, Passion
Published August 6, 2024
Essay Topic

Why are you pursuing history or architecture? When did you know that pursuing these degrees was right for you?

400–600 words

Winning Application

Cedric Pitts
The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
With so many things to do and endless possibilities in life, we are often tasked with summing up things among many. This challenge intensifies when considering our college majors. On top of this, we must decide which university best suits our educational needs and provides the best opportunity. Like many students, my story is the same, from selecting the right university for me and what I wanted to pursue. Early in my journey toward discovering my passion and which university to attend, I struggled to decide what to do. I talked with my parents, pastor, and friends about where to discover what I was passionate about and how to select the right school. Their answers were universally the same: they told me to "follow my heart and move how the Lord directs me." This revelation opened a new lens of sight and enabled me to identify Architecture as my major. I discovered in my youth that I always had a passion for construction and design and would often create miniature models to express this passion. I remember staying up late at night to complete these models before school in the morning and begging my mother to spend countless amounts of money to buy me supplies. I quickly learned this passion wasn't cheap, but I also uncovered why I wanted to pursue architecture. I'm pursuing architecture to primarily indulge in a space that allows me to create and implement new ideas in the built environment. My view of the built environment or infrastructure is that of a canvas that's been shared among many artists from the begging of time. Each "artist" acquires their credentials and begins to paint on this canvas how they see fit under the direction of a client. I aspire to join the likes of many great architects of our time and "paint" new wonders in the world. As I referenced earlier, I discovered that I wanted to pursue architecture came later on in life. Contrary to my early life of model making, I was indecisive in the direction that I wanted to take post-graduation. Eventually, in my junior of high school, I knew that architecture was the fit for me. From that moment forward I began to research various schools that offered architecture education and the cost of attendance. Additionally, I inquired about the student workflow and what these institutions had to offer in the new age of design. Lastly, I continued to stay informed on what I was pursuing and listened to architecture students from around the world to understand what would be expected. In conclusion, my journey in pursuing architecture was a long, yet, joyful experience that allowed me to embrace my passion. Through every step forward and every page turned, I get closer to achieving my goal of becoming an architect and shaping the new world. I encourage all who may read this essay to forge new possibilities and follow God's plans for your life to embrace your passions. We're all in this together and can achieve anything we set our minds to!

FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Dec 17, 2024. Winners will be announced on Jan 17, 2025.