OERB scholarship awards total $523,500 for students

  • November 10, 2025

The Ultimate Guide to Finding and Winning College Scholarships — Shemmassian Academic Consulting

scholarship funding targets next generation talent

A noteworthy amount of scholarship dollars will be awarded to students at state universities studying petroleum-related fields. With a steadfast dedication to supporting the next generation of leaders, the people of Oklahoma Energy Oil and Natural Gas are announcing $523,500 in scholarship funds will be awarded to 97 students for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Additionally, this investment directly aligns with long-term workforce security because Oklahoma’s energy economy cannot sustain expansion without replenishing highly technical labor pipelines.

OERB drives industry-aligned academic support

The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (OERB), funded by the oil and natural gas industry, provides scholarships for students majoring in petroleum engineering, geosciences, and energy management at Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Tulsa.

Also, this targeted academic alignment guarantees industry-ready specialization enters the workforce rather than general undeployed STEM pathways.

“These scholarships are more than financial support; they are an investment in the future of energy,” said OERB Executive Director Mindy Stitt. “We believe in the potential of these students to drive advancement and innovation for our industry.”

Matching funds expand reach and scale

The University of Oklahoma (OU) has pledged its support by matching the Geoscience and Petroleum Engineering scholarship dollars provided by the OERB. This generous matching contribution amounts to $221,750, elevating the total impact to $735,250.

Additionally, this demonstrates direct public university commitment to an integrated industry workforce strategy that moves beyond tuition aid into structural talent development.

Students can apply for the scholarships during each year of undergraduate work. The amount increases annually, with a $7,500 maximum scholarship for seniors. Petroleum Scholars also receive exclusive access to industry networking events and educational activities.

Therefore, this academic pathway also functions as a direct early career pipeline into field operations, engineering houses, development shops, regulatory advisory firms, and corporate upstream strategic planning offices.

The scholarship application period for the 2026-2027 school year will open on November 1.

For a list of criteria or for more information, visit oerb.com/scholarships.

Industry continues funding through voluntary structure

The OERB is funded by more than 2,500 producers and thousands of royalty owners across Oklahoma through a voluntary one-tenth of 1 percent assessment on oil and natural gas production.

Additionally, this voluntary structure underscores long-term sector commitment rather than regulatory mandate.

Since 1993, the agency’s purpose is to clean historic well sites and support educational initiatives.

Finally, Oklahoma Energy leaders emphasize that student investment in core petroleum academic disciplines remains the most critical element in preventing long-term technical talent shortages — especially as demand cycles accelerate across hydrocarbons, digital infrastructure buildouts, and new platform generation technologies.

📌 MORE ENERGY NEWS

2025-2026 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Rui Li Oklahoma State University Geosciences
Rowan Honeybone University of Tulsa Energy Management
Timo Hoijarvi University of Tulsa Energy Management
Anna Lackner University of Tulsa Energy Management
Diego Lopez de Escalara Alvarez University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Kelli Martinez University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Michael Sowell University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Kaden Drake University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Ryan Estes University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Lexie Lawler University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Aaron Rogers University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Burke Jones University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Gyllian Leblanc University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Dax Bishop University of Oklahoma GeoEnergy Egineering
Manuel Gonzalez University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Crystal Lopez Digat University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Hutson Smith University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Grace Levesque University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Ty Barrington University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
John Matthews University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
William Baird University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Andrew Gizzard University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Jakob Harrigan University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Lindsey Kubsch University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Scott Marsh University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Seth Mein University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Jacob Schartz University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Chance Sneed University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Bryce Taylor University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Keyln Grindstaff University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Nicolas Skuja University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Justin Mayes University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Brad Harris Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Reagan MacDonald University of Tulsa Energy Management
Ethan Lawson University of Tulsa Energy Management
Michael Clintron University of Tulsa Energy Management
Tau’Veaz Briggs University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Lilly Jackson University of Oklahoma Energy Management
John Paul Spanier University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Olivia Casey University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Felipe Castaneda University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Preston Fry University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Reed Kanaly University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Joshua Kleckner University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Tristin Cathey University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Jacob Garvey University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Emery Hammond University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Nicole Prada University of Oklahoma Energy Management
Julia Peters University of Tulsa Geosciences
Brancen Redman Oklahoma State University Geosciences
Frost Trussell Oklahoma State University Geosciences
Isabella Mendoza University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Emily Elder University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Aiden Jackson University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Parker Lynn University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Andie Wallace University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Aspen Hein University of Oklahoma Geosciences
Rowaid Abouhassoun University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Henry Anderson University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Bryan Gonzales University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Gloria Lee University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
John Pethoud University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
William Barnaby University of Tulsa Petroleum Engineering
Fernanda Quinones Orozco University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Levi Hopson University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Faith Branstetter University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Christian Casey University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
David Fares University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Ava Jenkins University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Bryce Schulke University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Clay Feland University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Alex Hodges University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Rhett Kennedy University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Cooper Baxter University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Caliyah Grate University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Kaden Harris University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Jacob Poteet University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Daniel Rios University of Oklahoma Petroleum Engineering
Samuel Mooney Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Murphy Vincent Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Peyton Brannan Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Aden Nowell Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Joseph Petrone Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Reagan Tollefson Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Sean Fetters Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Bryan Harvill Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Sabrina Milam Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Tyler Blake Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Samuel Green Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Tyler Lee Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Emerson Warren Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Rylee Wyatt Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Jacob Coles Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
John Fremin Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Hayden Hefner Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Hudson Hendricks Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering
Brance Pitzer Oklahoma State University Petroleum Engineering

Jerry Bohnen