Benjamin Thompson III, better known as The Madd Hatta, is a Texas Radio Hall of Famer and host of Majic 102.1’s The Madd Hatta Show.
He’s also a brother whose commitment to service has remained a visible part of his career.
That commitment is now taking another tangible form through Hatta’s I Am the Dream scholarship contest, which will provide $10,000 in scholarships to deserving students at Texas Southern University and Prairie View A&M University.
The contest is designed to encourage students to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other social servants while articulating their own dreams and demonstrating how they are working to make those dreams real.
The deadline for submissions is Oct. 12.
From King’s dream to their dreams
Hatta launched the scholarship three years ago while working at KTSU, inspired by the 60th anniversary of King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
“It was the 60th anniversary of MLK’s incredible speech,” said Hatta. “So, I thought, man, what a perfect opportunity now for me to do this $10,000 scholarship for kids at TSU, and they can explain what their dream is about and how they’re living that dream.”
After returning to radio, Hatta temporarily stepped away from the scholarship effort while focusing on his career. Now, he has brought the initiative back with an expanded reach.
“This time I decided it would be between two incredible HBCUs, PV of course, and TSU,” shared Hatta. “I’m going to split the dollar amounts up: $5,000 for PV, $5,000 for TSU.”
Creativity is the application
The scholarship’s application process is built around something many college students already know well: social media.
Students must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA and submit a creative Instagram video of 60 seconds or less explaining their dream and how they are living it. Hatta wants students to approach the assignment in a way that reflects their own creative interests.
“I’m just asking kids to do it the way that they like to do it on social media,” he said. “It could be poetry. It could be spoken word. It could be a short 60-second film.”
Creative submissions can come from students interested in communications, media, film, theater, performance, and related fields.
The scholarship is presented by Madd Hatta and the Madd Hatta Cares! Foundation. Students can submit their “applications” by posting their creations on IG and tagging @therealmaddhatta, and including the hashtag #MLKHATTA2026. Interested applicants can find more information about the scholarship contest by visiting www.maddhattacares.org.
Winners will be announced Oct. 26, with an awards gala scheduled for Jan. 16, 2027.
More than financial aid
For Hatta, the scholarship is about more than helping students pay bills. Rather, it’s about opening doors for young people who are already imagining what they can become.
“I think the opportunity to get to somebody who wants to do big and better things with their life, with their family, and their community … gives me hope,” Hatta said.
He recalled meeting exceptional students during the scholarship’s first year and being energized by their creativity and optimism.
“I just like that young energy of these folks,” he said. “They want to go out there, and they want to give life their best.”
Hatta also sees the students as potential future leaders who can help address society’s challenges. For him, providing financial assistance is therefore an investment in both individual students and the communities they may eventually serve.
Keeping ‘the Dream’ alive
The scholarship also connects Hatta’s current work with a broader commitment to remembering the sacrifices that made today’s opportunities possible. He emphasized that today’s students should understand that their opportunities are connected to generations who struggled before them.
“I don’t think that part of history should be forgotten,” he said. “I just want them to be creative.”
That emphasis on creativity, history, and community also reflects Hatta’s broader work. Earlier this year, he partnered with the Houston Public Library to encourage families to read together and reconnect with neighborhood libraries through his first children’s book, Kase’s Little Adventures, inspired by his son, Kase.
Now, his attention has returned to helping HBCU students put their dreams into action.
For students at TSU and PVAMU, that dream could also come with $5,000 in financial support—and an opportunity to make their voices heard.
“This is something that I want to continue doing,” Hatta said. “And I think we’re all still living that dream.”
