Naveen Jindal School of Management student Remsen Jennings didn’t think he had great odds of winning a $10,000 Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship, so when he learned he was one of just 19 recipients of the annual award, it was “a complete shock.”

He may have been the only one surprised.

Jennings, who is pursuing a master’s degree in accounting, graduated summa cum laude from UT Dallas in May with two bachelor’s degrees, one in accounting and one in finance. Besides carrying a full load of classes and working full time, he was a UT System Student Advisory Council member, Student Government vice president and president of the Charles and Nancy Davidson Management Honors Program. His academic achievements earned him recognition from the Golden Key International Honour Society, as well as landing him on the dean’s list several times. He was the student speaker at JSOM’s undergraduate graduation.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. Once they have the dinner and I actually get the money — that’s when I’ll know it’s real.”

Remsen Jennings

The criteria for the scholarships are stringent and include demonstrating leadership traits, entrepreneurial achievement, outstanding moral character and a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.

Jennings presently works in pension investments for J.P. Morgan. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” he said of the $10,000. “Once they have the dinner and I actually get the money — that’s when I’ll know it’s real.”

The Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, a Houston-based nonprofit, awards the funds to top contenders attending universities that participate in foundation programs. The foundation will officially present the money at a Nov. 17 dinner in Dallas. In addition to the Texas Business Hall of Fame honor, Jennings received a $2,000 scholarship from the Dallas CPA Society in August. He also received the AT&T Management Award Scholar Award of $5,000 after the School of Management’s 2009 Scholarship Breakfast and the Trail Blazer Capital Award of $5,000 after its 2010 breakfast.

Jennings said the recent scholarships are among the highlights in an eventful year. “The other thing that really stands out is that I got a job offer from Ernst & Young, and I’ll begin working with them after I earn my graduate degree,” he said. “To me, that’s the key indicator that all this hard work has paid off. Now I truly believe that anything is possible.”