Houston radio personality and Texas Radio Hall of Famer Madd Hatta is giving students at two Houston-area historically Black colleges and universities a chance to turn their creativity into scholarship money.
Hatta, through the Madd Hatta Cares Foundation, has launched the “I Am the Dream” Scholarship Contest for students at Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University.
The contest will award $1,000 scholarships to five students from each university, for a total of $10,000 in scholarships.
“I want kids to have the opportunity that I was given,” Hatta said. “I had some great mentors that gave me an opportunity and shot to achieve all the goals that I wanted to achieve in broadcasting, and it was important to me to want to give back and do it in this way.”
HOW TO ENTER
Students must be currently enrolled at TSU or Prairie View A&M for the 2026-27 school year and have at least a 2.5 GPA.
Eligible students must also pursue a degree in communications, media, film, performing arts or a related field.
To enter, students must create a video of 60 seconds or less explaining why Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream is important to them and their community.
The video must be posted to Instagram by Oct. 12, 2026, using #MLKHATTA2026 and tagging Hatta’s Instagram account, according to contest information.
Hatta is encouraging students to make the videos their own. Entries can include a rap, song, short film or other creative presentation. His one request, don’t use AI.
“Be as creative as you want to be,” Hatta said. “You can rap, you can sing, you can do a short little visual film.”
WHY TSU AND PRAIRIE VIEW?
Hatta said the scholarship contest is personal because of his own experience attending North Carolina A&T State University, an HBCU.
He also has deep ties to Texas Southern University. During a period away from radio, Hatta spent time at TSU and helped create The Vibe with Ernest Walker at KTSU.
“I have really strong roots and connection to the TSU community and those Tigers,” Hatta said.
He said he also wanted to include Prairie View A&M because of the connection he sees between the two universities and their students.
“I want them to continue to thrive, not just the students, but the universities as well,” Hatta said. “It’s very important to me that HBCUs continue to thrive.”
A CHANCE TO START SOMETHING
For Hatta, the scholarship is about more than the $1,000 award.
He hopes students will use the contest as an opportunity to practice their creative skills and begin putting their ideas into action.
“This is just one of those opportunities where you could be doing it for this purpose, and all of a sudden it turns into something viral, and your life is a totally different life,” Hatta said.
Hatta said he wants students to understand that not winning the contest does not mean they have failed.
“Nothing beats a try but a fail,” he said. “I just want you to get up and do something and keep moving towards that place that you’re trying to go.”
The “I Am the Dream” Scholarship Contest is open through Oct. 12. Winners will be recognized at an awards gala scheduled for Jan. 16.