These Aggies Showed True Heroism During the Central Texas Floods. They Didn’t Expect the Thank-You They Received.

The Guadalupe River Heroes Scholarship honors 17 unsung Aggies’ acts of valor during the 2025 Central Texas floods.

By Dorian Martin '06

Lead photo by Josh Lewis '14

May 4, 2026

On July 4, 2025, 17 young Aggies bravely faced daunting challenges: a significant stationary thunderstorm developed during the night that dropped torrential rain in the Texas Hill Country, causing rapidly rising floodwaters filled with life-threatening debris. As a result, these teenagers had to make split-second decisions and display heroic behavior to protect Camp Mystic and Camp La Junta campers during the Central Texas floods.

While their stories are not publicly well-known, these Aggies’ commitment to leadership and selfless service in the face of significantly daunting odds are incredible examples of heroism. To express their gratitude, the Kerrville, Texas, community banded together to establish the Guadalupe River Heroes Scholarship.

The brainchild of Chris Braaten ’99, senior vice president and senior loan officer of Guadalupe Bank in Kerrville, and boosted by additional support from the Texas A&M Foundation, the Guadalupe River Heroes Scholarship assists with these students’ tuition costs. “We shape leaders at Texas A&M, and these heroes are the exact type of leaders we want carrying our flag into the 21st century and beyond,” Chris said. “From the moment I reached out to Texas A&M about this scholarship, the cohesiveness and cooperation among different areas of the university were evident from the start. Something like this doesn’t get done unless everyone wants it to happen, and I can’t thank the university and the Foundation enough. This isn’t happening anywhere else.”

Chris Braaten ’99 (left) led the efforts to create a scholarship honoring the courage of Aggie counselors at Camp Mystic and Camp La Junta during the tragic July 2025 floods. (Photo by Butch Ireland)

As a result, over $100,000 has been contributed by the Kerrville community and anonymous donors, with plans to raise more. “We wanted to find a way to have the most impact, so we split this fund up to give scholarships across multiple semesters,” Chris said. “All the recipients we talked to said they were overjoyed when they got the letter about the scholarship, and it was just very emotional.”

Heroism in Action

Presley Tyner ’29, Ella Bennett ’29 and Emaline Hickman ’29 share many common bonds. The friends grew up together in Beaumont, Texas, and were excited to enjoy new experiences together as incoming freshmen at Texas A&M in fall 2025.

But before moving to Aggieland, the trio looked forward to returning to Camp Mystic, the home of some of their favorite childhood memories. “I started going to Camp Mystic the summer after second grade, following in the footsteps of my grandmother and aunt,” said Ella. “It’s hard to completely describe Camp Mystic. It’s a safe place where you can get away from everything for a month and be with some of your best friends. It’s a place where you grow in your faith and as a person.”

As a Camp Mystic counselor, Ella Bennett ’29 helped younger campers stay calm in a moment of crisis. (Photo by Josh Lewis ’14)

In late June 2025, the three 18-year-olds returned to the camp in Hunt, Texas, as first-time counselors. Each was assigned to different cabins where they would oversee 15 elementary-age campers.

When the water began rising and entering the cabins the night of July 3, the Aggies and other counselors realized no one would be able to forge the rapidly rising river to save them. Disregarding camp officials’ initial instructions to remain in the cabins, these 18-year-old women took matters into their own hands.

Both Emaline and Presley realized they had to quickly get their young campers to higher ground. Fortunately, their respective cabins were adjacent to a steep hill. Presley coordinated with two other counselors to pass the elementary-age campers through a cabin window and then joined them as the group hiked to higher ground. Emaline and her co-counselors also found a way to lead their campers to the incline, where they, too, started climbing.

In Ella’s cabin, the water level quickly rose, and she and her co-counselors decided to break a window and get everyone out. Ella remained in the cabin to help everyone through the window. When she followed suit, she was swept into the raging river and soon found herself pinned by debris underwater. She eventually broke free and resurfaced before pulling herself onto the branch of a nearby tree, where other campers were also sheltering. “We were there for almost three hours praying and doing everything we could to keep the little girls who were in the tree with us calm,” Ella said.

After dawn broke, the water receded, allowing rescues to begin. That evening, all three friends, who were reunited with their parents, drove away from Kerrville with sadder memories of the idyllic summer camp as well as a feeling that they had been placed at the camp that summer for a reason. “As awful as the situation was, I think I always was meant to be there and that God was with us on the mountain,” Presley said. “That experience helped me appreciate life more because it showed how quickly something can be taken away.”

The Heart of Aggies

Less than two months later, all three set foot on campus as Aggies. Ella and Presley, who are from Aggie families who regularly brought them to Texas A&M sporting events, immediately felt comfortable on the large campus. “It was the easiest choice and the only school I applied to,” said Presley.

Though she didn’t grow up with Aggie family members, Emaline Hickman ’29 quickly felt at home in Aggieland after arriving on campus. (Photo by Josh Lewis ’14)

Yet, the lone Beaumont friend without Aggie ties has also quickly claimed Aggieland as home. “I originally wanted to go to The University of Texas,” Emaline said, “but I thank God that I ended up here because I have so many opportunities and have met an amazing group of people. I love my sorority, my classes and my teachers.”

All three have now settled into college life. Presley and Ella plan to major in business and are considering their professional options. Meanwhile, Emaline changed her studies from engineering to animal science pre-vet. “I knew engineering was not what I really want to do,” she said. “I learned this summer that life is really so special and so short, which has given me the confidence to stand up for what I really want.”

Each of the Beaumont Aggies also has found friendship and community through pledging a sorority.

“I have a Big Sister and a Grand Big Sister through Kappa Delta who support me so much,” Presley said. “We have coffee and a Bible study, and they've heard the stories, so they know what I went through.”

Emotional Healing

Like the other Aggies who were counselors at Camp Mystic and Camp La Junta, the trio went about their lives in Aggieland with the Kerrville area firmly rooted in their hearts but no expectation of recognition or thanks for their deeds. But when Chris heard of the Aggie counselors, he jumped into action.

Presley Tyner ’29 is one of the Camp Mystic counselors who has been rewarded for her bravery through the Guadalupe River Heroes Scholarship. (Photo by Josh Lewis ’14)

Chris was prompted by his memories of being at the reunification point where families were reunited with Camp Mystic campers and witnessing the counselors’ laser-focused commitment to their campers. Later as a member of the area’s various flood task forces, Chris had the chance to ask Camp La Junta and Camp Mystic owners about their counselors’ actions during the flood. “The response was uniform: The counselors were heroes through and through,” he said.

At that point, Chris knew he had to do something – and as a result, the Guadalupe River Heroes Scholarship fund became part of the Kerrville community’s efforts to regroup after the devastating flood. “Kerrville is a very giving community and stepped up to take care of its own after the floods,” Chris said. “We view these scholarship recipients as our own since they spend four or five weeks as residents of the Hill Country while they are counselors.”

After hearing about Chris’ and the community’s actions, the Texas A&M Foundation joined the collaboration by contributing an additional $34,000 to the amount raised by the community to further support the Aggie counselors.

In addition to providing financial support, these scholarships also have proved to be emotional healing. “Most of the recipients, if not all, reached out with a thank-you letter, but when I talked to a few of their mothers, they said that their children had felt forgotten,” Chris said. “The mothers told me that this scholarship finally made their daughters and sons feel seen.”

All three Beaumont Aggies agreed, saying the unexpected scholarship helped them realize that their efforts at Camp Mystic last July are widely appreciated.

“When I received the scholarship, it brought me to tears,” Ella said. “It still does, just thinking about how much our university truly cares for each other and how much of a family we are. I am also honored that the people of Kerrville, who probably went through some of the same stuff I did, have gone out of their way to do this amazingly kind thing for us. This scholarship makes me so happy and proud.”