They can't even legally drink yet, but for four Shiner, Texas high school students, Shiner Beer is already having a profound impact on their college careers.

Last fall, the Shiner Brewery Scholarship was awarded for the first time to two UT-bound high school students from the Southeast Texas town of Shiner—one each from the two local high schools, St. Paul and Shiner. Now in its second year, the scholarship aims to keep bright, talented students in the Lone Star State by providing $20,000 per year for four years to deserving future Longhorns.

Devin Pesek, a junior microbiology and pre-med major at UT, was one of Shiner Brewery's first recipients. "Getting this scholarship is what made me ultimately decide to come to Texas," Pesek says. "Without it, I think I'd be in North Carolina [at Duke] right now."

Carlos Alvarez, chairman and CEO of Shiner's parent company, Gambrinus, says that Gambrinus wanted to support education and the University.

"The major factor that made a difference is the fact that we could do these through [the Texas Exes]," Alvarez says. "If we hadn't had access to a user-friendly system or structure to provide with selection and administrative tasks, it would probably not have been a decision that we would have made."

This fall, the brewery has four students on the Forty Acres, who hopefully will continue to interact with the Shiner  community after graduation. Pesek says he has "no doubt he'll move back to a place like Shiner one day."

"We may, down the road, benefit from their education and having invested in their education," Alvarez says. "They will hopefully come back to the neighborhood and help the area grow and prosper."

Pesek has dreams of working in the medical field and is studying to take the MCAT this spring. Receiving the Shiner Brewery Scholarship has created opportunities for Pesek he didn't think were possible.

"I've always wanted to study abroad, but it's kind of expensive," Pesek says. "Having this scholarship has allowed me to apply to study abroad in Spain next summer. I don't know if I would have had that opportunity if my school hadn't been paid for."

Above, from left: Jimmy Mauric, Lisa Mauric, Recipient Jessica Arledge, Recipient Devin Pesek, Malu Alvarez, and Carlos Alvarez. Photo by Steve Moakley. 

Top: Photo by AlphaTangoBravo via Flickr Creative Commons.