Fall 2025 Influencer Scholarship Winners
The Fall 2025 Influencer Scholarship Contest has concluded, and winners have been chosen. Thank you to every high school senior who submitted an entry. The time and thoughtfulness the class of 2026 put into their submissions encouraged donations and saved lives across North, Central and East Texas. Every submission was lifesaving for a local patient; however, there can only be two winners.
The winners of the Fall 2025 Carter BloodCare Influencer Scholarship Contest are Alex Nunez, from Garner College and Career Preparatory Academy, and Lydia Witherspoon, from Kilgore High School!
Alex is enjoying his senior year at Garner and will attend the University of North Texas next fall, where he wants to study art in hopes of becoming a graphic designer, painter or art teacher.
Alex had donated blood before entering the scholarship contest, but he did not know how often blood is needed before he started donating. His donor journey has taught him a lot about blood donation, and it is the main reason he wanted to enter the contest.
“After donating, I was curious about how much donating blood matters,” Alex said. “When I discovered that someone needs blood every two seconds, I was shocked. I decided to enter the scholarship contest to spread the word about how important it is to donate blood.”
Personal impact is among the top reasons people choose to become blood donors. Though Alex hasn’t been directly impacted by blood donation in his personal life, he understands the importance of maintaining a healthy local blood supply – that alone has made an impact on his life.
“Blood donation gives me a way to serve and give back to my community,” Alex said. “It made me emotional thinking I could potentially be saving someone’s life. It has taught me that anyone can make a difference in the world.”
Saving the life of a local patient isn’t the only impact blood donation will have on Alex’s life. His dream to study art will be aided in part by this scholarship, and he’s excited to get started at North Texas in the fall.
“Winning this scholarship means a lot to me,” Alex said. “It reminds me that the time I spent donating blood truly matters. I believe everyone should know the importance of donating blood, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to contribute to that.”
Alex plans to continue donating blood and being an advocate for blood donation in college. As for being a donor, the most common fears are often associated with the process. Those are fears he would like to soothe, thanks to his experience.
“My experience of donating blood with Carter BloodCare was easy, reassuring and quick,” Alex said. “Donating blood with Carter BloodCare is a positive experience.”
Helping people and advocating for good are in Lydia’s nature. Right now, she’s a senior at Kilgore High School, but in the fall, she’ll be taking on a new challenge as a political science major at Sam Houston State University.
Lydia is passionate about education and helping others. With an exciting future on the horizon, the Influencer Scholarship Contest was the perfect opportunity for her to sharpen advocacy skills while combining some of the things she loves most.
“I decided to enter this scholarship because I know how important it is to get involved in things that actually matter,” Lydia said. “Being able to support a cause that helps people while also working toward my education really motivated me.”
Lydia has plenty of first-hand experience with how blood makes an impact for local patients. That first-hand experience is part of what makes her such an effective advocate for blood donation.
“My mom works in a hospital, so I’ve grown up seeing how important blood donations really are,” Lydia said. “I know how often it’s needed and how many people depend on it, which has made me appreciate donors even more.”
The scholarship will help kick-start her journey in pursuing a career in advocacy and political science, but winning the contest means much more to her than just scholarship money.
“Winning this scholarship means a lot to me,” Lydia said. “Not only does it help me financially, but it also shows that I’ve been able to inspire others and make a positive impact through something as important as blood donation.”
Lydia is a donor and plans to continue donating blood through college and into her professional career, and, unsurprisingly, plans to continue advocating for blood donation as well – it is one of the things she’s best at and most passionate about.
Lydia mentioned she wants to use her degree to help raise awareness, connect with people and make a difference. Though her degree will help her do that in a variety of ways, she’s already doing it through advocating for blood donation, and patients in her community are directly benefiting from her efforts. There is one final thing she wants potential donors to know.
“Donating blood with Carter BloodCare is a really positive experience,” Lydia said. “It made me feel proud knowing that something so simple on my part could help save lives.”
On behalf of everyone at Carter BloodCare, congratulations to Alex and Lydia, and thank you to everyone who participated.
Submissions are now open for the Spring 2026 Influencer Scholarship Contest.