Pottsboro, Texas – Katie Kirkpatrick, a 2011 graduate of Pottsboro High School, garnered the most votes in a first-time Facebook photo contest sponsored by American Bank of Texas (ABTexas), winning a $1,000 scholarship as a prize. Launched on June 1, contest rules stated that anyone who would be paying tuition in the fall of 2013 was eligible to enter the contest by posting a picture which showed a "Touch of Texas" to go along with the bank's theme of Great Texas People - Great Texas Bank. Kirkpatrick's submission featured her favorite view of Texas – her spurs, boots and saddle. She won with more than 700 votes.

Kirkpatrick said she decided to post an entry when she saw the information while banking online. When she returns to Tarleton State University in Stephenville this fall as a junior, she'll be taking her horse, Moon, with her.

"I was so glad the contest wasn't only for entering freshmen," Kirkpatrick said. "It seems like there are a lot of scholarships available when you are graduating from high school but after that the opportunities get harder to find."  

Kirkpatrick is a pre-vet/animal science major who said she picked Tarleton for her undergraduate education because she had been there often on Future Farmers of America trips for livestock judging and cheerleading camp while in high school.

Melissa Musgrave, ABTexas marketing communication specialist, was thrilled with the results of the contest. "We had 20 entries and almost 1,700 votes. We can't wait to see what kind of participation we get with this contest next year," Musgrave said.

As for Kirkpatrick's future, she said she hopes to be in veterinary school at either Texas A&M or Oklahoma State University a few years down the road. After that, she plans to be a veterinarian in either Colorado or maybe much closer to home. 

About American Bank of Texas - American Bank of Texas has total assets of approximately $2 billion, a network of thirty-two (32) branches in twenty-two (22) Texas cities and employs over five-hundred (500) great Texas people.