Donor: Kelli Kilpatrick - Kilpatrick College & Career 

Available to: Miss Texas delegates

Scholarship Amount: $500 

Application Deadline: June 1, 2026

Scholarship Qualifications & About: 

The Decade by Design Scholarship: Building an Intentional Plan for Career, Leadership, and Financial Growth

Extraordinary success rarely happens by accident. It is usually the result of vision, preparation, strategic choices, meaningful relationships, and the willingness to invest in your own growth.

For many women, the path to professional advancement requires more than ambition. It requires a clear plan, the confidence to ask for opportunities, the courage to build relationships with mentors and champions, and the ability to make intentional decisions about education, career development, leadership, and financial growth.

This scholarship is designed to support Miss contestants as they think boldly and strategically about the next decade of their lives. Whether you are pursuing an undergraduate degree, considering graduate school, beginning your career, changing direction, building a business, or already advancing professionally, this exercise is meant to help you imagine what is possible and identify the steps required to move toward it.

Think aspirationally about where you want to be professionally ten years from now. Then, write a maximum two-page reflection describing your vision and identifying at least 3 specific strategies you will commit to using to move toward that goal.

Your reflection should consider how you may need to invest in your own growth over the next decade. This could include education, graduate school, certifications, skill development, networking, mentorship, leadership experience, salary negotiation, entrepreneurship, or other career-building opportunities.

 

Application Requirements

Please submit an essay in PDF format that complies with the following blueprint:

Guided Reflection Blueprint:

Use the steps below to guide your thinking. You do not need to answer every question in your final paper, but your reflection should show that you have thoughtfully explored your career goals, the investment required to reach them, and the specific actions you are willing to take.

Step One: Imagine your next decade.
Think boldly about where you could be ten years from now.

Ask yourself:
• What role, title, business, field, or level of impact can I imagine for myself?
• What kind of work do I want to be known for?
• Who might I be leading, serving, influencing, or helping?
• What kind of financial independence or professional freedom do I want to build?
• What would “extraordinary success” look like for me?

You do not have to know the exact answer today. The goal is to begin thinking intentionally about the direction you want to move.

Step Two: Research the path.
Look up roles, industries, graduate programs, certifications, businesses, or leadership opportunities connected to your goals.

Search tip: Use LinkedIn, Indeed, professional association websites, graduate program websites, or company leadership pages to explore people and positions that interest you.

Ask yourself:
• What qualifications, degrees, skills, or experiences appear most often?
• Is graduate school required, preferred, or optional?
• Are there certifications, licenses, or technical skills I may need?
• What leadership, communication, business, or financial skills would strengthen my path?
• What would I need to start doing now to become competitive for this future?

Step Three: Identify the investment required.
Every meaningful goal requires investment. That investment may be financial, educational, personal, relational, or time-based.

Ask yourself:
• Will I need to pay for graduate school, certifications, training, conferences, coaching, or professional development?
• How might scholarships, employer benefits, assistantships, fellowships, or savings help fund that growth?
• What skills or experiences would increase my earning potential?
• How can I become more confident advocating for opportunities, promotions, compensation, or leadership roles?
• What is one investment in myself that could change my future trajectory?

Step Four: Learn from a woman ahead of you.
Complete at least one informational interview, with a woman whose career, leadership, or impact you admire. If you do not already know someone, use LinkedIn, your university network, your workplace, Miss Texas connections, or community leaders to identify someone in a role you aspire to.

Questions you might ask include:
• What helped you reach your current level of success?
• What role did mentors, champions, or sponsors play in your journey?
• What do you wish you had understood ten years earlier?
• What skills or relationships made the biggest difference?
• What advice would you give someone at my stage of life?
• If I want to move toward this level of success in the next decade, what should my top priorities be?

Step Five: Build your decade strategy.
Identify at least 3 specific strategies you will commit to using over the next ten years.

Your strategies might include:
• Pursuing graduate school, a certification, or additional training
• Building a stronger LinkedIn profile and professional network
• Seeking mentors, champions, or sponsors
• Conducting regular informational interviews
• Developing leadership, communication, financial, or technical skills
• Learning to negotiate salary, promotions, or opportunities
• Joining professional organizations
• Attending conferences or industry events
• Building a business, brand, portfolio, or body of work
• Applying for scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, or employer-funded education benefits
• Creating a financial plan to support future education or career development

Your final reflection should show where you hope to go, what you learned from your research or conversations, and what intentional steps you are willing to take.

Dream boldly. Invest wisely. Build intentionally.