Czech Heritage Society Awards Scholarship

The Czech Heritage Society of Texas (CHS) is proud to announce Dallyn Pesek from Shiner as the recipient of the 2025 Victor Peter Memorial Scholarship. She is a graduate of St. Paul High School and will attend The University of Texas at Austin this Fall majoring in biology with the intent of attending medical school and becoming a physician. She plans to work in a rural area like Shiner so she can give back to underserved medical areas while continuing to enjoy the rich traditions of living in a Czech community.

Dallyn has been active in student government, youth ministry, a five-sport athlete, and served the state as Miss Texas Teen USA 2024. Her community service includes coaching a special needs cheer team, directing a special needs pageant, volunteering as a coach for Special Olympics, serving as a spokesperson for Best Buddies, and volunteering with the Arc of Texas advocating at the Texas Capitol for the needs of people with IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities). A highlight of her volunteer work was receiving the Gordon Hartmann Foundation Heart of Gold award given to those who are improving lives of those with special needs.

Dallyn’s family encouraged her at an early age to learn and participate in her Czech culture. She did this in ways like making strudels with her grandma, serving as co-chairman of the auction with her parents at the Shiner Catholic Church Picnics, and watching her relatives play Tarock at Christmas and family reunions. Dallyn has visited and learned more about her Czech heritage at places like the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange and the painted churches, helping her understand the strong faith of her Czech descendants.

Her grandmother, Dallyn explains, “spent afternoons teaching me to roll out noodles, make kolaches and kapanki soup, and dance to polka and waltzes.” From these early dancing lessons Dallyn was able to perfect her Czech dancing at the Shiner Picnics and Czech weddings. Her grandma’s influence to learn and treasure her heritage, Dallyn stated, “I hope to one day continue my Grandma Novosad’s traditions with my children and even take a Czech class at UT in college to better learn the language that unites the Czech people.”