Reba Bock Fellows Experience
Who is Reba Bock?
Reba Bock was the first female official elected in Walker County (1923-1941). She ran for office after women received suffrage and served as County Treasurer for over sixteen years. Reba Bock's roots are deeply grounded in Walker County and with Sam Houston State University.
Reba Bock also helped a large number of young residents of Walker County to attend the University by providing housing as well as employment. Thanks to her generosity a large number of those young people became teachers, principals, and superintendents.
What is the Reba Bock Fellows Experience?
Each year, the Reba Bock Fellows Scholarship ($3,000) is awarded to support an innovative proposal for a sustainable activity/project/program that makes a positive contribution to the community. The project must be developed and implemented in collaboration with a community partner in the Huntsville/Walker County area or at SHSU. The Reba Bock Fellows Scholarship was made possible by Reba Bock’s grandchildren. They established the endowment to honor the legacy of their grandmother.
How to Apply
Applicants are asked to create and attach a proposal for a project that will assist a community partner and/or members of the community. They must ask a faculty member to act as a mentor to guide them in their project. After the award is accepted, the first semester will primarily consist of the planning phase of the project and the second semester will focus on the implementation phase. To be eligible for this award, students are required to be enrolled as a student for two back-to-back semesters. Toward the end of the final semester, award recipients will be asked to present their project to campus and community audiences and will be asked to create a short video about their project. The Center for Community Engagement staff are available to assist students, faculty mentors, and the community partner organization throughout the project. The deadline to apply is February 1st.
Reba Bock Fellow 2023-2024
Group Skills Training Program
Tamisha T. has had many family members diagnosed with mental illness and has personally seen the effects of stress and anxiety leading to heart disease. Through her studies in Psychology and Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Western Michigan and at Sam Houston State University respectively, Tamisha focused on the positive effects of mindfulness in a group skills training setting to make a difference. She created a group skills training program from the ground up and had two opportunities to implement her training and document the positive outcomes. It is her hope that “all people will adopt mindfulness strategies to reduce the daunting numbers of heart disease related to chronic stress and the debilitating symptoms of anxiety.”
Reba Bock Fellow 2021-2023
Goal Setting Technique Program
Claire K. spent time interviewing residents at a local homeless shelter to learn what social determinants of health had the greatest impact on their lives. After learning more about what was needed for residents, Claire developed the Goal-Setting Technique for Non-Profit Organizations Program (GST), aiming to increase participant's self-efficacy over time. She was able to implement her program at the Trinity River Foodbank before it closed, and plans to implement it at Huntsville High School soon.
Reba Bock Fellow 2020-2021
Hospitality House
Ileana S. had initial plans to create a literacy program in partnership with the Hospitality House in Huntsville, but the COVID-19 pandemic soon changed her plans. During the pandemic she continued her research on literacy programs and how they benefit youth, especially youth affected by the incarceration of family members. She provided her research to the Hospitality House, in hopes that one day they might be able to use it to initiate a literacy program when their doors re-open.
Reba Bock Fellow 2017-2019
Reba Bock Career Closet
Jensen S., with assistance from her faculty mentor, Ashly Smith, created the Reba Bock Career Closet to help students obtain business clothes for important occasions such as job interviews and career fairs. The clothes are provided to students free of cost. The Career Closet is now found in Tripod's Thrift shop, located at 1619 Sam Houston Avenue (right next to Subway). Students are allowed up to four items a year, free, with their Bearkat OneCard. The ultimate goal of the Closet is to provide professional wear to students across campus and give them opportunities to succeed no matter their financial background. You can read more about Jensen and her project here.
Reba Bock Fellow 2015-2016
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
Andrea S. has been a dedicated volunteer with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Montgomery County since coming to SHSU. Andrea has noted numerous challenges faced by those working in the system through her own experiences and research on CASA volunteers and Child Protective Services workers, including difficulties gaining the trust of the parents of children in the program. In addition to her work as a special advocate, Andrea is creating a research-based video that can be used to help parents understand the developmental needs of their children and ease the negative perceptions they may have about CPS and CASA.
Scrappy Quilts
Paige L., while working Head Start Program in Huntsville, discovered that many of the children had only a towel or flimsy mat to nap on. To rectify this situation, she is working with students in a soft-textile class at SHSU to create scrappy quilts for the children. Paige is collecting materials from various donors to make this project possible. Since the Head Start program will always be receiving new children in need, Paige would like to insure that the Scrappy Quilt project remain intact for semesters to come. To read more about Paige's project click here.
Reba Bock Fellow 2014-2015
Robotic Hands
Victor G. worked closely with a child in Walker County with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS). Using 3D printing technology a functional robotic hand was built for the child, giving her a functional hand for the first time. The hope is that this project will be a catalyst in forming a foundation that will build robotic extremities for a larger number of children with ABS.
Reba Bock Fellow 2013-2014
Grant Writing
Jessica B. collaborated with the Pregnancy Care Center (PCC) to locate additional funding sources to support the Center’s initiatives. The PCC is a non-profit organization that offers a variety of services to Huntsville residents including pregnancy tests, STD testing, emotional support groups, and parenting classes.