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An Elsik High School student was the first of 10 scholarship winners as part of a weekly raffle in Harris County aimed at encouraging more teenagers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo took to Twitter to celebrate the fist $5,000 scholarship winner on June 14.
"Congratulations to Jose Mejia from Elsik High School, the first winner of our Harris County Public Health Vaccine Scholarship Program," Hidalgo said in a tweet.
KHOU reported Harris County is awarding high school students who receive the vaccine with weekly scholarships. The winners are randomly chosen through a drawing.
"Every week, we're selecting a new scholarship winner among students under 18 who've gotten vaccinated through Harris County Public Health," Hidalgo tweeted.
The county announced the initiative earlier this month, in an effort to push for more Harris County residents to get vaccinated. In order for a teenager to be eligible for the scholarship they have to live in Harris County, receive the first dose of the vaccine before they turn 18 and get it from any Harris County Public Health site.
"If you're still a student on the fence about getting a vaccine, if you're a parent on the fence about getting your child vaccinated, I hope this will be the last, little incentive to get you over the edge," Hidalgo told KHOU.
According to KHOU, there are still nine drawings to go. Scholarship winners can use the money toward school costs at any institution of higher learning in the Lone Star State.
ABC13 reported the county has not checked or made U.S. citizenship status an eligibility contest for the scholarship drawings.
Residents looking to get a COVID-19 vaccine can still do so from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday each week. Registrations can be completed online or by calling 832-927.8787.