The Texas Outdoor Writers Association is proud to announce that Emilee Totino has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Bob Hood Scholarship.
Emilee is an Animal Science major with a minor in Wildlife Management at Sam Houston State University, where she carries a 3.73 GPA and serves as an active member of the university’s Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society. But her qualifications go far beyond the classroom. Emilee is a hunter, trapper, and dedicated outdoorswoman who, in her own words, “jumped in headfirst” the moment she found her calling in conservation.
That hands-on spirit shows in her field résumé. Emilee worked with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker program, an effort focused on a federally endangered species. There she assisted with data collection, twenty-day nestling checks, and cavity management — climbing trees, banding 17 birds, and helping carry out a translocation of a nesting pair. Her experience doesn’t stop there: she has trapped endangered pine snakes, collected deer samples for Chronic Wasting Disease testing and logged the data into Louisiana’s DMAP system, tracked red wolves in the field alongside conservationist Chester Moore, and guided hunters and anglers at Hornbeck Ranch.
What sets Emilee apart, as her recommenders noted, is her drive to do more than the work itself — she wants to tell its story. She has a clear appreciation for the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and understands that the future of the outdoors depends as much on communication and public understanding as it does on science and management. That conviction is exactly the spirit the Bob Hood Scholarship was created to encourage.
Emilee earned strong endorsements for her application. Chester Moore, Editor-in-Chief of Texas Fish & Game and founder of Higher Calling Wildlife®, recommended her “without hesitation,” calling her “a credible and compelling voice” with an authentic connection to the land and wildlife. Robbie McQueen, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Management at Sam Houston State University, praised her inquisitive nature and leadership, noting that “she leads by example and always from the front.”
After graduation, Emilee plans to gain as much field experience as she can through nonprofit work and seasonal positions across the country before settling into a long-term role with a government agency. Her goal, she says, is simple: “I want to know that I made a difference where it mattered.”
The Bob Hood Scholarship is awarded annually to one student enrolled at an accredited Texas college or university who is preparing for a career related to the outdoors, environmental conservation, or wildlife management. This year’s recipient receives $1,000 toward scholastic costs and was recognized at the TOWA Annual Conference in May.
Please join us in congratulating Emilee Totino — a passionate next-generation conservationist who embodies everything this scholarship stands for. We can’t wait to see the difference she makes.
Want to support future recipients? Contributions to the Bob Hood Scholarship Fund can be made HERE
