NEWTON, Texas – This summer, four Newton ISD students and five Newton ISD educators were selected to receive an ExxonMobil scholarship to attend Rice University’s prestigious Tapia STEM Camps and the Professional Development Camps, hosted by The Tapia Center. The students are: Kyran Bennett, Madelyn Foster, Marley Howard and Addison Pace. The educators are: Rebecca Ellingston, Pam Bailey, Sandra Haltom, Marjorie Antonia Hadnot, and Wendy Brown.
The award-winning residential camp welcomes rising 8th-12th grade students from across the country for an immersive week of STEM learning and college life at Rice University. Students participate in hands-on STEM projects, collaborate on presentations, and gain firsthand experience living on a college campus at one of the nation’s leading research institutions.
“At Tapia Camps, we help students and educators connect what they do in their classes to societally important topics. Whether it is about artificial intelligence or carbon capture and storage, it’s important that everyone have an informed opinion so that they can figure out what impact they want to make on the world,” said Dr. Paul Hand, Director of the Tapia Camps at Rice University.
This summer, campers completed several STEM projects that mirrored real-life challenges in our world today, including designing wind turbines and crafting algorithms. One project explored how to safely store carbon dioxide underground, turning campers into environmental engineers by using household items like beans, Play-Doh™ putty and vegetable oil to build a model underground saltwater reservoir.
“Before Tapia Camp, I didn’t know STEM was an option for me. I didn’t have the resources or the opportunities to see what STEM really was”, said Madelyn Foster, Newton ISD student and ExxonMobil scholar. “Tapia Camp has been a way for me to find my interests, find my passions, and find people who are also similar to me.”
The Tapia Camps also feature Professional Development Camp for educators of all subjects and grade levels, which provide participants from across the country the tools to implement project-based learning in their classrooms, prioritizing engaging, hands-on, real-life problem solving for students. Educators who complete the camp walk away with lesson plans they can use during the school year, and they earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) hours.
“This experience has changed how I think about classroom project-based learning because it has given me a foundation. I can take these skill sets that I’ve learned here and the perspectives from these different people and bring them to my own classroom”, said scholarship recipient Rebecca Ellingston.
Pam Bailey and Rebecca Ellingston were among a select group at the camp to receive “Outstanding PBL Project” award, recognizing their creativity and drive to best equip their students.
“Great teaching has the power to change lives, and the Tapia Center’s Professional Development Camp helps educators maximize that impact,” said Alvin Abraham, global manager of corporate giving, Exxon Mobil Corporation. “By expanding access to meaningful learning opportunities, we’re empowering educators to inspire the next generation and helping students reach their full potential.”
“In total, the ExxonMobil Foundation provided $385,000 in scholarships, funding 220 Texas-based students and educators to attend the 2026 Tapia STEM Camps”.
Individuals or school districts looking to apply for ExxonMobil scholarships for summer 2027 can reach out to tapiacenter@rice.edu.
About the Tapia Center
The Tapia Center at Rice University was founded in 1995 to promote greater participation of underrepresented minorities and women in the sciences and engineering and empower them to be future leaders. The Center’s founder, Dr. Richard Tapia, is internationally known for his research in the computational and mathematical sciences and is a national leader in education and outreach.
Since inception, the Tapia Center has provided direct training and guidance to more than 6,000 students and 2,500 teachers and educated nearly 250,000 students and professionals about the importance of diversity and representation.
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