In a process often defined by pressure and competition, three seniors at Cypress Ranch High School chose a different approach. As they chased some of the most competitive full-ride scholarships in Texas, Kyle Bui, Bryce Schlosser-Bradford and Sean Howlett leaned on each other instead of pulling apart.

“Even before the scholarship, these guys were some of my closest friends,” Bui said. “They supported me through sports, just hanging out, traveling together. I wanted to see them succeed.”

That mindset carried into one of the most competitive moments of their high school careers. Instead of treating the process like a race, they treated it like a team effort.

“We weren’t some confident, cutthroat scholars,” Bui said. “We were students that were scared that we might not even be able to go to college if we didn’t get the scholarship. So we leaned on each other and believed that if we helped each other, then we could all succeed.”

Their preparation reflected that belief. After school, they met up to run through interview questions, building shared documents and testing each other’s answers.

Howlett described the process simply: “We would make a Google Doc, and we had written out the questions, and then we wrote our best answers to the questions. We went through all that process, and then we met up a couple times outside of school, and we actually mock-interviewed each other.”

They weren’t just studying; they were sharpening each other.

Schlosser-Bradford, who interviewed first, made sure the others weren’t going in blind.

“I’d already done my interview for my full ride,” he said. “So I just told him let’s meet up, and I’ll go over his questions, and I’ll tell him what they asked me, so I could give him the same shot I had.”

That kind of openness is rare in a process where information can feel like an advantage. For them, it became an advantage.

Some of their preparation even turned into full mock panels with teachers and counselors. Those sessions revealed weaknesses, but more importantly, they built confidence.

“I was super nervous,” Bui said. “The first couple of questions went well, and then they asked me a question I wasn’t really prepared for…what are you passionate about?”

At first, his answer felt too broad. But with guidance, he learned how to ground it in something real.

“They told me, just be yourself. Your answer may be broad, but you need to give them specific examples on how you’re genuinely passionate,” Bui said. “They helped me formulate the answer and brought me more confidence.”

Still, the process wasn’t without doubt. Bui remembers one moment clearly, sitting in a boba shop after a rough practice interview, feeling completely unprepared.

“I was all over the place, and I was just so embarrassed,” he said. “I really thought, man, I might not be able to go to college because I’m not good enough for the scholarship.”

But instead of stopping there, he kept going.

“That pushed me to work even harder and do some more mock interviews to improve my answers,” he said.

The same persistence showed up in each of them. Bui saw it especially in Howlett.

“He’s a person that pushes over and over again,” Bui said. “He doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants.”

Schlosser-Bradford brought something different—an ability to tell his story in a way that connected.

“He’s really good about giving a story and getting some emotion,” Bui said. “So I told him, don’t hide your story. Be true to yourself.”

Sometimes, it just took someone else to say it out loud. That kind of support didn’t exist in a vacuum. The culture at Cypress Ranch helped shape it, from counselors to teachers who invested in students beyond academics.

“They do so much to help us and make sure we have what we need,” Schlosser-Bradford said. “The way they helped me, I was able to help my friends.”

Howlett felt that support just as strongly.

For all three, the stakes went beyond personal achievement. College wasn’t just the next step; it was a financial reality they were trying to make possible.

“It wasn’t that I was battling for myself,” Bui said. “I thought about my mom, my dad, my sister… I was battling for a whole group of people.”

In the end, their shared effort paid off. Kyle Bui earned the Terry Foundation Scholarship to University of Texas at Austin, while Bryce Schlosser-Bradford received the same award to Texas Tech University. Sean Howlett was awarded the Smith-Hutson Freshman Scholarship to Sam Houston State University.

Three students. Three full rides.

Looking back, their story isn’t just about where they’re going…it’s about how they got there.

“There was no competition,” Bui said. “It was a collaborative effort.”

And in the end, that made all the difference.