Community First: How TXST Faculty and Students Are Collaborating to Save Lives

Since September 2025, more than 8,712 Hays County youth and 843 adults have received life-saving educational training to help combat the adolescent fentanyl overdose crisis.  

The work is being led by an interdisciplinary team of TXST faculty and student researchers who formed the Fentanyl Education Support Training Awareness (FESTA) program. Funded by a five-year, $1.87 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the FESTA team is helping local school districts comply with Tucker’s Law, a law named in honor of Tucker Rowe, a 19-year-old from Leander, TX, who died in 2021 from accidental fentanyl poisoning. As a result, the Texas legislature enacted House Bill 3908 in 2023, requiring all public schools to provide fentanyl abuse training to students in grades 6-12.  

Led by Kelly Clary, Ph.D., FESTA’s leadership team is made up of several TXST faculty members who collaboratively bring their research strengths and clinical expertise to maximize the effectiveness of their programming.

Erica Nason, Ph.D., serves as associate project director for Clary. Ty Schepis, Ph.D., guides the instructional content for accuracy and clarity. Megan Rogers, Ph.D., oversees data analysis. Clary says that the diverse skillset among FESTA’s leadership was crucial in securing federal funding.  

“I think SAMHSA recognized our different ranges of expertise that will really help this project be successful,” says Clary. 

The FESTA team regularly hosts community outreach events at schools throughout Hays County. At each event, local students and their families are provided with informative presentations, educational handouts, and Narcan/Naloxone training which includes free boxes of Narcan.  

A unique aspect of the FESTA program is how TXST students play a pivotal role in the program’s success. Both undergraduate and graduate students are on the frontlines of FESTA, helping bring fentanyl awareness to the community.

“The impact of this FESTA Program would not be at the level it is without 100% effort from all of our team members, especially our Texas State University students,” says Clary.  

Each student involved in the FESTA program is certified by the Institutional Review Board and plays a key role in all phases of operations ranging from data entry to presentation facilitation. Currently, 14 students are part of the FESTA team, representing a variety of majors including psychology, social work, public health, sports science, and computer science. 

“I have family members and friends who have experienced substance use disorders, so this topic is near and dear to my heart," says Victoria Lewis, social work major who joined FESTA in August 2025.  

Lewis serves as a research assistant and preparation material lead for FESTA, overseeing creation and distribution of all surveys, bookmarks, prizes, and other resources handed out during outreach events. She was inspired to join FESTA after taking one of Clary’s social work classes and learning about the need for fentanyl education in the community.  

“I’m passionate about substance use awareness and mental health, so this program is the perfect intersection of those things,” she says.

Lewis will be completing her internship with Wimberley ISD as a FESTA researcher in Fall 2026. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work when she graduates and says that FESTA has already given her valuable skills and experience for her future career plans.

“I want to work with children in the future, and FESTA is giving me relevant experience with my major,” she says. “Social work is all about empowering people and giving them the knowledge they need to make the best decisions for themselves, and that's exactly what this program is doing.” 

Through FESTA’s community outreach efforts, student researchers sharpen their communications skills, specifically public speaking, by translating scientific data into clear and digestible presentations for multiple audiences, including youth, our community, and academic audiences.  

Madeline Wootan, who joined the FESTA team in April 2025, values the challenge of having to present information to a wide range of age groups.  

“My favorite part of working with FESTA is being able to go into the classrooms and present to the students. It has helped me learn how to tailor my presentations for different audiences,” says Wootan.

A Spring 2026 graduate who double-majored in psychology and criminal justice, Madeline will continue working with the FESTA program as a graduate research assistant starting Fall 2026. 

“The work we do is already making a difference in our community and helps the youth make educated, informed decisions. That’s why I value being part of this team,” she says.

Community members aren’t the only ones gaining new knowledge through the work of FESTA’s student workers. Clary says FESTA’s leadership team gains new insights from their student workers’ data analytics and research findings, which helps inform FESTA’s operations.    

“Our TXST students are always teaching the faculty team trends and current events as it relates to substance use,” Clary says, which underscores the long-term value that FESTA’s efforts have on everyone involved. 

Through student researchers’ data analysis, the FESTA team makes strategic decisions when planning their outreach events and programming.

At the end of their five-year grant from SAMHSA, the FESTA team anticipates it will reach a total of over 20,000 adolescents and adults in Hays County with their community outreach efforts and educational presentations for middle and high school students.

In April, Clary delivered a proclamation at the Hays County Commissioners Court declaring April 29 National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a proclamation which summarized the spirit and value of the FESTA program:

“When we inform people, we don’t just share knowledge. We give people the ability to save lives.”