GONZALES — This weekend, the 11th annual Bob Jackson crawfish boil-off will be held at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center.

Every year, several teams get together to boil mudbugs for a good cause.

For the last three years, the Bob Jackson Foundation has chosen a River Parishes Community College student to receive a scholarship. This year’s recipient is 21-year-old Evan Reddix.

"I was happy because it was already hard figuring out how I was going to be able to pay for all of my classes, textbooks and all of that,” Reddix said.

One of the scholarship requirements is that you must be pursuing a career in STEM. Reddix is studying P-Tech at RPCC.

"Basically, the process of the systems you'll have in the plant. Learning the process, the equipment, the tools, the flow, how things go,” Reddix added.

The scholarship was established in 2023 to honor Bob Jackson. He was a founding member of the Geismar Volunteer Fire Department. He also spent many years working in the Chemical Industry to provide for his family. Now, his five kids keep his legacy alive by helping students like Reddix pursue their dreams.

"It's good going to school because everybody doesn't have the opportunity to go to college and further their life in the career that they want to do,” Reddix said.

Most of the money for the scholarship comes from the foundation’s annual crawfish boil-off.

"Having it being paid for is just an extra blessing cause I don't have to worry about not being able to pay for school,” Reddix said.

And he would have never heard about the opportunity if it weren’t for his parents.

"They inspired me a lot. They always push me to do my best, chase my dreams, and be what I want to be. Especially my dad, he always wanted me to be better than him," Reddix said.

This year’s crawfish boil-off is happening Saturday, April 25, at the Lamar Dixon Expo Center. Boiling starts at 11 a.m., and admission is free; a donation, however, gets you 3 lbs. of crawfish.