Spring 2026 Dedicated Volunteer Scholarship Winner

Colin Watson

We are proud to present Colin Watson as the first-ever Dedicated Volunteer Scholarship winner. Colin’s long-standing commitment to service, through global hunger relief, youth mentorship, and local community outreach, reflects exceptional compassion, leadership, and advocacy for others. His dedication to making a meaningful impact exemplifies the spirit of this scholarship.

Read Their Essay Here:

My parents are very passionate about volunteering and instilled this in me as a child. The service activity I started early on is with Feed My Starving Children. Since I was allowed to volunteer in kindergarten, this became my first volunteering memory as a family. From creating ready-made meals and shipping them off to over 70 countries while listening to music, dancing, and even friendly competitions with others has made great memories. With the added benefit of seeing pictures of the families we helped and seeing the thank you notes that were sent in return is really heartwarming. This is always an enjoyable event with my family plus the added benefit of serving others.

My love for golf pushed me to volunteer with the First Tee program, it empowers kids to be better version of themselves, understand and appreciate diversity, learn goal setting all through the game of golf. While volunteering with the organization, I met boy with autism that the other children and volunteers were inclined to steer away from because of his behavior or were rude to him. You could tell that this treatment greatly affected him and his mother but she continued to bring him back each week. Since I did not like how the child was being treated, I wanted to make a meaningful connection with this child and help support his journey. I even took it a step further and assisted him outside of the First Tee events. After several practices, his skill set and understanding of the game increased and his disruptive behavior decreased. With my leadership and guidance, the other volunteers no longer laughed at him and he was able to finish his lessons. I am proud that I did not join in the behavior of others and became his advocate instead. I am honored that my guidance allowed him to progress his golf game.

Lastly, working with StewPot has been my most recent service activity and it allows me to truly support others and make them feel valued. It also helps me make a difference where I stand in our local community. The StewPot has allowed me to see outside the “protective” walls of my neighborhood and give back to those less fortunate in my local area. It also allows me to serve with my family while we pack snack bags for the homeless population on the streets of Dallas. Performing these service hours merges my family with families of those in need and it humbles me in the process.

Focusing on other’s needs is what defines me and my family. I feel that our sense of community is evolving and the focus of serving others doesn’t not have to be just in our local neighborhood or city. I plan on bringing my passion for service to the college campus by joining their local community service groups, continue to serve at First Tee, and plan on serving others post college and into my adult life.