The prestigious $15,000 Phoenix Energy scholarship has a new winner for 2025: Brody Greer Patton. As of August 25, 2025, Patton has begun his first year as a Petroleum Engineering student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
“We chose Brody due to his outstanding academic record and passion for the energy industry,” says Phoenix Energy CEO Adam Ferrari. “We pride ourselves on being an innovative company, so his clear desire to innovate was also important to us.”
How Patton impressed Phoenix Energy’s scholarship committee
Despite being a first-year student, Patton is no stranger to the oil and natural gas industry. He grew up in Northeast Texas, home to the historically important East Texas Oil Field, and several generations of his family have worked in this sector.
Patton outshone all the other applicants on the scholarship’s criteria. To be eligible for the Phoenix Energy Scholarship, students must have enrolled in a relevant degree program, have a minimum high-school grade point average of 3.5, and submit a 2,000-3,000-word essay explaining their career goals and why they’ve chosen to work in the oil and gas industry.
“In particular, we were impressed with Brody’s essay,” Ferrari says. “He spoke about visiting oil museums and seeing working rigs on the horizon. He also discussed the importance of hard work, a value he learned from participating in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H. He wants to develop new ways to improve efficiency, decrease the impact of oil production on the environment, and help the industry become more sustainable. We share these same values and goals, so we are excited to help Brody get his start in his profession at Texas Tech University.”
At Texas Tech University, Patton looks forward to doing hands-on training as well as research projects, combining advanced expertise with practical experience in the field. His goal is to find ways to help the oil and gas industry overcome global challenges.
“Phoenix Energy’s scholarship is not just an investment in me, but is also an act of faith in the future,” Patton says. “Through their generous support, I will be able to join others at Texas Tech University in obtaining a quality education, mentorship, and experience that will position me to make a real and lasting difference. I aspire not only to improve how we extract and use energy but also to help shape the future of the industry. I am deeply grateful to Phoenix Energy for this honor.”
Patton is the third Phoenix Energy Scholarship recipient. The first-ever winner was Arnoldo Montanez, a student at the Colorado School of Mines, in 2023. In 2024, Skyler Meuse, a Petroleum Engineering student at Texas A&M University, took the prize.
The Phoenix Energy Scholarship program
Phoenix Energy is a family-owned and operated American oil and natural gas company that not only produces oil at its own facilities but also focuses on mineral rights acquisitions and other key investments in the industry. The company founded its scholarship program to encourage exceptional students to pursue careers in the oil and natural gas industry.
“We’re investing in the next generation of leaders,” Ferrari explains. “Finding great people and helping to launch them in our industry is one of the ways we are supporting its long-term future. It’s about technical expertise, of course, but much more as well — we’re fostering leadership and innovation, ushering in a future of sustainable growth in American energy production.”
Phoenix Energy’s scholarship stands out from other scholarship programs for college students who aspire to a career in the American oil and gas industry due to its large prize: $15,000, rather than the typical $1,000 to $5,000 per year. Additionally, Phoenix Energy’s scholarship is specifically designed to support first-year students, rather than those in later stages of their education. Its requirement for a personal statement or essay also highlights the importance of applicants’ motivations and vision for the future of the industry.
Moreover, while the application process for other scholarships can be protracted, the Phoenix Energy Scholarship has a rapid turnaround. Submissions are accepted each year from May through mid-July, and the winner is announced in August.
Finally, Phoenix Energy’s scholarship is part of Fueling Futures, one of the key initiatives within the company’s philanthropic program, FUEL — “Fostering Unity, Empowering Leadership.” Through Fueling Futures, Phoenix Energy supports education, invests in the next generation of leaders, and advances the future of the oil and natural gas industry.
Phoenix Energy cultivates the next generation of leaders in oil and natural gas
Patton’s achievement is more than just an individual honor. It’s a part of a growing movement within the industry to cultivate the next generation of leaders and ensure a pipeline of well-prepared professionals who can meet the nation’s energy needs with efficiency and responsibility.
As the fall semester gets underway and Patton hits the books in his Petroleum Engineering program, Ferrari and his team at Phoenix Energy wish him the best of luck.
“We know he has a lot of hard work ahead of him, but we also know he’s going to be successful,” Ferrari says. “We can’t wait to see what he does.”
Interested in learning more about the Phoenix Energy scholarship? Point your browser toward the program’s dedicated website here: https://www.phoenixenergyscholarship.com/.
