About Scholarships

Patrick and Marianne Barchman envisioned that each one of their seven children would have the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree. Although the Barchmans did not graduate from college themselves, they wanted their children to have greater opportunities than were available to them. They believed that education was a reliable way to improve one’s life, which in turn, could improve the destiny of future generations yet to come. They consistently modeled faith, integrity, frugality, hard work, discipline, and community service as important components to be ready for college…and for life.

Mrs. Barchman shared this piece of family history with her children: “Your grandmother came alone by ship as a teenager from Ireland to Ellis Island in New York, for the opportunity to make a better life. She signed a contract to work as an indentured servant for seven years, in exchange for the ship’s passage.” This bit of history was meant to encourage the Barchman children to be fearless and strong no matter how hard the journey gets and to eliminate the very thought of grousing or complaining during a rough moment. Patrick and Marianne Barchman accomplished their mission. Each child had the opportunity to attend college. They issued this charge: “Go, and do better for the next generation than we were able to do for you!” This scholarship has been established by their children to help a graduating Woodrow student do the same.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants should include evidence of community involvement, integrity, and a strong work ethic in their application.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Mr. and Mrs. English were born and raised in Dallas, Texas and are both proud graduates of Woodrow Wilson High School, Classes of 1942 and 1944 respectively. Mr. English graduated from Texas A&M University in 1946 with a degree in economics. Immediately following graduation, he showed the true spirit of entrepreneurship by establishing a new business with just one employee, himself. Since then, English Color and Paint Supply, Inc. has evolved into a distribution company with over 41 stores and 275 employees. Bob English was the 2007 finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award of the Southwest Area. He has served as President of the Automotive Wholesalers of Dallas and as Chairman of various committees within the Automotive Service Industry Association. He was inducted into the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame in 2009. Mr. English passed away in March 2011.

Mr. English said that he and Mrs. English decided to create a scholarship program for Woodrow graduates because the academic and social education they received at college was a luxury that they could not afford, but they were able to complete their undergraduate degrees with financial help from others. Mr. English explained that he never forgot about the extra help he received to get his higher education and therefore felt compelled to create this scholarship for those “Diamond in the Rough” Woodrow Wilson High School graduates.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

The Woodrow Wilson Class of 1971 Dennis Roe Memorial Scholarship was founded by the Woodrow Wilson High School Alumni Association, the Class of 1971, and Mr. Roe’s family and many friends to honor his memory through scholarships to graduating Woodrow students. After working 20 years for Southwestern Bell, Mr. Roe moved into financial planning and insurance. As a leader of the Class of 1971’s reunion committee, he was the impeccably organized and enthusiastic “rock” that guided his classmates back together year after year. This award is intended to help other graduating Woodrow students do the same.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Longtime neighborhood residents Helene and Mark Honeybone have been involved with the area’s public schools since their children started at Mockingbird Elementary School, attended J. L. Long Middle School and moved on to Woodrow Wilson High School. As believers in the importance of a strong education for every child, they’ve observed over the years how valuable it can be for struggling students to have caring adults in their lives to provide support at crucial times.

This scholarship is intended to assist hardworking, goal-oriented Woodrow seniors who, with just a little help, can attain very bright futures as they pursue their college degree.

Award Amount:

$5,000 (recurring over two consecutive years, $2,500 per year)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants should include evidence of strong character and work ethic in their application.
• Academic growth should be evident in the applicant’s transcript (transcript will be obtained from Woodrow college advisor).
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Amy and Jason (WWHS ’89) Kulas have endowed a scholarship to help ensure that financial need is not an impediment for Woodrow students who want to continue their education beyond high school. This scholarship rewards well-rounded students for academic achievement, campus involvement and community service, with a preference given to those with greater financial needs.

Award Amount: $10,000 (recurring over four years, $2,500 per year)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university. 
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Established by Ken K. Kuesel, this scholarship will be given to a graduating senior at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas, who has shown extraordinary love and commitment to their community by consistent involvement in community organizations.

Mr. Kuesel was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and is a proud graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School’s Class of 1968. He has three daughters who graduated from Woodrow Wilson: Meredith, Class of 1993; Candice, Class of 1998; and Mallory, Class of 2006. His youngest daughter, Kendall, will graduate from Woodrow Wilson in 2021. Mr. Kuesel’s love and commitment for Woodrow Wilson has been passed down through his daughters.

Mr. Kuesel received a four-year athletic scholarship from Southern Methodist University. He was a starter and a letterman in both football and baseball and graduated in four years with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Without this scholarship, Mr. Kuesel would never have been afforded the opportunity to continue his education beyond high school. Understanding the need for financial assistance is the main reason Mr. Kuesel started this scholarship. He has always felt the true measure of success is not what you achieve for yourself but what you are able to do for others.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Established by Richard H. Vitale, this award is given to graduating high school seniors at Woodrow Wilson High School, in Dallas, Texas, who have shown exceptional commitment to their community through their documented and regular involvement in community organizations. Applicants will be evaluated on a ratio of 25% academic achievement, 25% financial need, and 50% community involvement.

Mr. Vitale was born and reared in Dallas, Texas and is a proud graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, Class of 1991. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr. Vitale joined a Bank of America predecessor company in 1994, and upon graduation, he returned to North Texas with the bank. He currently is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America and leads the bank’s Not-for-Profit Healthcare and Institutions Practice for North and Central Texas. He is Founding President of the Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university.

Marian and Rob Richmond are thankful to be able to “pay it forward” to the Woodrow community in which their two children, Ward, Class of 1996, and Valerie, Class of 2001, thrived. This scholarship is to assist Woodrow Wilson graduates seeking to increase their knowledge and take their first steps into independence and adulthood. The Richmond Family Scholarship rewards students for academic merit (strong B average or higher), campus involvement and community service. Preference is given to those who can demonstrate work experience during the academic year and to those with greater financial needs. Two awards are available to two deserving Wildcat seniors.

Award Amount: $2,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Evidence of high school work experience should be included in the application.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Spirit is not a physical quality but an internal characteristic that manifests itself in different ways. For decades, Woodrow Wilson High School students have demonstrated spirit by applying their unique talents to scholarship, school leadership, performing arts, athletics and countless other extracurricular activities that shine a positive light on their school. The Woodrow Wilson High School Cheer Booster Club endowed this scholarship to reward hardworking seniors who demonstrate character, honesty, diligence, benevolence, and a drive to make their school, community and world a better place. Wildcat Spirit comes in many shapes and forms, and this award is intended to recognize students who will use their spirit to build a legacy of leadership that exemplifies Woodrow Wilson High School.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Current cheerleaders are ineligible to apply for this award
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

The Trammell Crow scholarship was created by long time commercial real estate executive and Woodrow Class of ’96 graduate, Ward Richmond, to honor fellow Woodrow alum Trammell Crow, who is one of the most influential commercial real estate developers in the world and who graduated from Woodrow back in 1932.

Trammell Crow is credited with the creation of several major real estate projects, including hundreds of warehouses throughout the DFW metroplex (and beyond), and skyscrapers which define the Dallas skyline, including the Trammel Crow Center and, Chase Tower, as well as the Dallas Market Center, along with Peachtree Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California.

The Trammell Crow Scholarship is funded collectively by multiple members of the Woodrow family who work in the real estate industry.

The scholarship is intended to support well-rounded, high-performing students, who display qualities of leadership as well as a passion for entrepreneurship and giving back to the community.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

The class established this scholarship after their 40th reunion to assist a deserving, well-rounded Woodrow senior who desires to continue his/her education in college. Preference will be given to academic merit – a strong B student – community involvement and volunteerism, and financial need.

The Woodrow Wilson class of 1968 was and still is very proud of Woodrow and the graduates it produces. The class has members all over the United States who are involved in a wide variety of fields. They are also a class that believes in the importance of giving back and serving others. For the class of 1968, their time at Woodrow was the foundation. In fact, many have remained in this community and watched their children graduate from Woodrow.

Award Amount: $2,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

While at Woodrow, Hal Hammond (WWHS ’78) was quarterback of the football team and played short stop for the baseball team. Hal never met a stranger, and was a born salesman. He worked in mortgage banking, commercial real estate, and as a car dealer – serving for a time as the President of the Dallas County Automobile Dealers Association. Friends in the Class of 1978 have endowed this scholarship to honor his memory and support a graduating Wildcat as they pursue their dreams, in whatever field they choose.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• This award gives preference to actively engaged athletes.

In honor of the life and legacy of Deshawn Patrick Jagwan, the Deshawn Jagwan Athletic Scholarship has been created in support of minority athletes. To be considered, all student athletes will be expected to demonstrate leadership qualities in academic settings and within their community. Athletes are expected to demonstrate a caring and giving spirit, have a passion for basketball and plan to attend a 2 or 4-year college or university.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Nicolas M. Vitale (WWHS 2025) established this scholarship in 2020 for high-achieving Woodrow Wilson athletes. As a second generation Wildcat and an athlete himself, Mr. Vitale wants to help other student athletes reach their dreams of attending college. This scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior who has competed in four years of high school sports at Woodrow Wilson High School. Mr. Vitale’s personal goal is to fully endow this scholarship by the time he graduates in 2025, in order to support the Woodrow Wilson community in perpetuity.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Growing up in Oklahoma, Mary Ruth Patterson was the eldest of nine siblings. When Mary Ruth was 14, her mother realized her daughter needed a better education and more opportunities to succeed. Consequently, Mary Ruth moved to Dallas to live with her aunt in Oak Cliff, where she attended Sunset High School (Class of 1950). Upon graduation and not having the financial means for college, Mary Ruth entered the work force as a secretary for Sears & Roebuck. Realizing this was not her passion, she moved her family to Lakewood in 1969 and went to work for the Ralph F. Brinegar Insurance Agency, launching a career in insurance while also pursuing her real estate license. A single mother, Mary Ruth did everything she could to provide for her family: working at the insurance agency during the week, waiting tables at night, and on the weekends, holding open houses. Mary Ruth somehow also made the time to invest in real estate properties and small businesses. This enduring work ethic taught her family to work hard, aim high, and let nothing stop you from accomplishing your dreams.

Tammy Patterson (Class of 1976) and Rocky Patterson (Class of 1979) have established this scholarship to honor their mother and provide financial assistance to students from single parent families. Our wishes are to inspire and promote a student who may not test well but exhibits high ambition or a ‘fire in the belly’ to succeed. The scholarship will be awarded based on self-motivation, self-discipline and entrepreneurship.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Eligible applicants must be from a single parent family.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

In Ruth Pendergrass’s more than two decades as sponsor of the Woodrow Wilson Sweethearts Drill Team, she encouraged the team to excel in academics, kindness, and love. This was a family affair; Mrs. P’s husband, Art Pendergrass, helped the Sweethearts by videotaping their performances. The Pendergrass children are all WWW alumni: Kristy Pendergrass Cates, ’81; Clay Pendergrass ’89; Trey Pendergrass ’94; and Kara Pendergrass Smith ’96, who was also a Sweetheart Captain. Carl and Kristy Cates have established this scholarship to honor Mrs. P’s love of her Sweethearts as well as her legacy as a sponsor and teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School. May this scholarship enhance the life pursuits of a deserving Sweetheart.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants must be Senior Sweethearts in good standing.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

The Ryan Hardy Memorial Band Scholarship is given to a deserving Senior member of the Woodrow Wilson High School band program.

James “Ryan” Hardy was a proud member of the Wildcat Band, graduating in the Class of 2021. Ryan lost his life to suicide in September 2023. This scholarship is endowed to honor his memory, his love of music, and his deep love for his Wildcat Band family.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Senior in good academic standing.
• Current participating member of the band program.
• Enrolled in a degree or a vocational certificate program at an accredited public college or university

Marian Dieckman Hammert and her late husband, Fredrick, supported an educational foundation for many years, and she is happy to be able to establish a scholarship at Woodrow Wilson.

Mrs. Hammert received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education at the University of Central Missouri, her Early Childhood certification at East Texas State, and her Masters at Southern Methodist University. She taught for 40+ years, beginning in her hometown of Independence, Missouri, and teaching in the Department of Defense Schools in Korea and Germany before returning to the U.S. to teach in Dallas, Texas, and Marietta, Georgia. Mrs. Hammert completed the final 25 years of her teaching career in Room 107 at Lakewood Elementary, where she was very involved in the PTA, serving one year as president of the organization.

Besides her passion for teaching in Early Childhood, Mrs. Hammert enjoys international travel and has visited over 100 countries and regions. Several of her trips abroad have included visits to local elementary schools, where she has found that children everywhere are more alike than different.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education.
• Application should include examples of successful experiences working with children.
• This award gives preference to those who attended Lakewood Elementary, but all applicants meeting the above criteria will be considered.

Friends of Lakewood (FOL), the fathers’ organization for Lakewood Elementary School, has been supporting Lakewood Elementary since 1982. The membership, 580 strong and counting, is comprised of dads who work tirelessly for Lakewood and, as their children grow, for J.L. Long and Woodrow Wilson, to improve and enhance the educational experience of all students attending these schools.

This scholarship is intended for college-bound Woodrow seniors who attended a Woodrow Wilson High School feeder pattern elementary school, J.L. Long Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson High School in continuous years. The scholarship rewards well-rounded, hardworking students for academic achievement, feeder school campus involvement, and outstanding community service.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university.
• This award gives preference to those who attended Lakewood Elementary, but applications from graduates of any Woodrow Wilson High School feeder pattern elementary school who also attended J.L. Long and Woodrow in continuous years will be considered.

Long time Lakewood resident Tess White established the Tess P. White Foundation in 1999 with an emphasis on providing educational opportunities for children. Mrs. White had great love for the community she lived in and wanted to use her position to benefit others. Her efforts to give back were appreciated not only by her family but also by all who felt the impact of her passion around education.

Many of Mrs. White’s nieces and nephews began their school years at Mount Auburn Elementary School and William Lipscomb Elementary School, going on to attend J.L. Long Middle School and graduate from Woodrow Wilson High School. This scholarship was created in 2019 to award Woodrow seniors who attended a Woodrow Wilson High School feeder pattern elementary school, J.L. Long Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson High School in continuous years. It rewards well-rounded, hardworking Wildcats for academic achievement, feeder school campus involvement, and outstanding community service.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants must have attended a Woodrow Wilson High School feeder pattern elementary school, J.L. Long Middle School, and Woodrow Wilson High School in continuous years. 

A scholarship fund was established in 2017 to benefit seniors planning to attend college who are active participants in the Woodrow Robotics program.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants will be asked to describe how being involved in Robotics has affected them and what they have gained from the experience.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas is a nonprofit organization, serving almost 200,000 people annually via programs, outreach, and events throughout Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Palo Pinto, and Rockwall counties. For decades, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas has made the dream of college education a little more attainable by awarding hundreds of graduating seniors with scholarships. Continuing in this wonderful tradition, this scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors from Woodrow Wilson High School who have an affiliation with the YMCA.

As part of the YMCA’s effort to help youth succeed, selections are based on academic achievement, financial circumstances, community service, and the individual’s motivation and desire for furthering their education.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university.
• Applicants must have a connection with the YMCA, including but not limited to any of the following roles: volunteer, program participant, donor, member, employee, or child of a Y employee.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Alise Cortez is from a small Oregonian town but had the tremendous fortune to live in Spain and Brazil for 2.5 years and travel throughout much of Western Europe and South America. This profound educational experience gave her an enduring appreciation for all peoples of the world, their beautiful diversity, and their hopes to lead the life for which they dream.

This award is intended to recognize and support graduating seniors who are committed to being “good citizens of the world.” Thus, students interested in pursuing degrees in areas such as international studies or world affairs are given preference.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants will be asked to describe an interest in or plan to pursue work after college that encompasses international affairs.
• Applicants must speak and write at least one other language besides English.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Gustavo Ipiña, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, attended Woodrow Wilson High School from 2001 to 2004. In this time, he exemplified the qualities of scholarship, leadership, service and character. Gustavo was an honor student and a kind, gentle young man. His smile lit up a room. In the summer of 2004, his life ended unexpectedly and violently in a tragic incident of road rage while he was on the way home from work. His needless death will not go unnoticed. His passion for learning, love of life and kindness towards others will live on in the Gustavo Ipiña Memorial Scholarship.

The Gustavo Ipiña Memorial Scholarship (G.I.M.S.) assists English as a Second Language (ESL) students from Woodrow Wilson High School continue their education at accredited colleges and universities. G.I.M.S. seeks to reward strong character and hard work and to support those who desire to make the most of their lives, thereby carrying on Gustavo’s legacy.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Applicants must indicate within the application that they are currently or have been enrolled in ESL, sheltered classes, newcomer program or dual language.
• Applicants should include evidence within their application that they exemplify the traits of scholarship, leadership, service and character.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

Siblings and Woodrow Wilson graduates Kelley Geary Burks (’67), Kathie Geary Vaughan (’71), Michael Patrick Geary (’72) and Colleen Geary Patton (’73) have endowed a scholarship in memory of their parents, Charlotte and Joseph W. Geary, Jr., to assist graduating Woodrow seniors who want to continue their education beyond high school.

The scholarship will award a well-rounded student for academic achievement, campus involvement, community service and volunteerism. Preference will be given to students who plan to pursue a career in law, law enforcement, or the nonprofit world. Preference will also be given to applicants who can demonstrate work experience during the academic year and to those with greater financial needs.

Award Amount: $8,000 (recurring over four years, $2,000 per year)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university in the United States.
• In order to renew the scholarship annually, award winners must be enrolled full-time and maintain a minimum average grade of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Applicants must intend to pursue a career in law, law enforcement or nonprofit work.
• Evidence of high school work experience should be included in the application. 
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.

In her 28 years as the choir and musical director at Woodrow, Marca Lee Bircher inspired students to be the best they could be in all facets of life and used her unique talents to make them shine on the stage. This scholarship honors her legacy and reflects her desire to help Woodrow students take their talents beyond high school.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at an accredited university in Vocal Performance, Music Education, Choral Conducting, Music Theater, or another Music or Theater related major.
• Application should also include a link to a performance video displaying his or her talent in the intended area of specialization.
• At least one recommendation should be from the applicant’s choir director or voice, music, or theater teacher.

The Woodrow Wilson Class of 1991 is part of the long tradition of graduating classes at Woodrow whose members have made their marks in the world in a variety of pursuits, both professionally and personally. We observe that nationwide, the arts is an area that is not receiving the support in public schools that it once did, as budgets shrink and public leaders call for focus in other areas. The Class of 1991 would like to recognize Woodrow Wilson as a high school that supports the arts and award a scholarship to a student who demonstrates passion for and achievement in either the performing or visual arts.

Achievement in “performing arts” includes and is not limited to dedicated involvement in one or more of the following: music (band, orchestra, vocal performance, song writing, musical composition), dance (choreography, Ballet Folklorico, other dance performance), and drama (One Act play, musical theater, other live theater). Achievement in “visual arts” includes and is not limited to dedicated involvement in one or more of the following: drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, design, photography, video, filmmaking, and architecture. Practice and involvement in the arts is not limited to school electives but may also include dedicated pursuit outside the classroom environment.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award recipients must plan to pursue further education in the arts at a 4-year accredited university as a part of their planned coursework (not necessarily major).
• At least one recommendation should be written by an adult who has first-hand knowledge of and involvement with the applicant’s practice in his or her area of specialization.

Sicilia “Sici” Williams, a proud Woodrow Wilson Wildcat, was tragically and prematurely taken from this life by an act of domestic violence on October 20, 2020, just 5 months after graduating as a member of the Class of 2020. Sici was a J.L. Long and Woodrow cheerleader as well as a member of the Woodrow golf team. Sici was full of life, an entrepreneur as a beloved neighborhood babysitter for many families, and a complete joy to be around. The loss of Sici is profoundly felt by all who knew her beautiful soul. Her friends have come together to create a scholarship to carry on Sici’s legacy at Woodrow for years to come. To honor this legacy, the recipient of this scholarship should exhibit such traits as a strong work ethic, interest in business and/or entrepreneurial pursuits, and Wildcat pride.

Award Amount: $1,000 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must be employed while in high school and/or be interested in becoming an entrepreneur or obtaining a degree in business. Applicants should provide examples of work experience during high school and any examples of entrepreneurial/ business interests.

Veritex Community Bank has been in our community for years. Veritex is derived from the Latin root word “veritas” meaning truth. The name alone exemplifies the importance of integrity and character when working with others. At every level, Veritex is integrally woven into the needs of our community, businesses and people we serve. It is part of Veritex Community Bank’s culture to reinvest in our community through a wide variety of community outreach programs and partnerships. The Veritex Community Bank Scholarship shall be awarded to a graduating senior at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, TX who is a model of integrity and character at school, out in the community and, eventually, as a business professional. The recipient of this scholarship will be pursuing business or a related subject, with preference given to financial need and community service.

Award Amount: $1,500 (one year only)

Award Preferences & Specific Requirements:

• Award winners must plan to pursue a degree at a 4-year accredited university in a business or related field.
• This award gives preference to those with greater financial needs.