Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative recently announced 26 local students selected to receive college scholarships.
The scholarships are geared toward high school students and returning college students. Each scholarship is $5,000 and 10 of the 26 academic scholarships are earmarked for returning college students.
“We congratulate the 2019 scholarship winners and are proud to reward the students for their academic success and dedication to their community,” said Andrew Cutler, OTEC’s manager of communications and public relations. “As a not-for-profit cooperative, one of our guiding principles is ‘Commitment to Community,’ and I can’t think of a better way than a scholarship program to give back to the communities we serve and encourage youth to be involved in their own community.”
Applications received are sorted and evaluated by four independent scholarship selection committees made up of voluntary OTEC members residing in each of the four counties served by the cooperative. Each committee then works through an evaluation process ending with the final selection of recipients for each county.
Applicants must be an active member in good standing with the cooperative or a dependent of such a member to be eligible for the scholarship. Scholarships are funded from interest earned on unclaimed refunds of capital credits.
2019 OTEC Scholarship Selections
Baker County
Graduating high school seniors: Megan Bingham, Powder Valley High School; Emily Black, Baker High School; Zachary Schwin, Baker High School; Logan Brashler, Baker High School.
Returning college students: Kourtney Lehman, Oregon State University; Danielle McCauley, Otterbein University; Samantha Sexton, University of Hawaii at Manoa; Jacque Cobb, Northwest Nazarene University.
Grant County
Graduating high school seniors: McKeely Miller, Grant Union High School; Madison Mckrola, Grant Union High School.
Returning college students: Sydney Thompson, Eastern Oregon University; Heather Mosley, Walla Walla Community College.
Harney County
Graduating high school seniors: Tea Recanzone, Burns High School; Chase Wilcox, Silvies River Charter School.
Returning college students: Parker Landon, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Trey Recanzone, Central Washington University.
Union County
Graduating high school seniors: Blake Frost, Imbler High School; Carson McClelland, La Grande High School; Elizabeth Babcock, La Grande High School; Braden Bell, La Grande High School; Alexandra Gomes, La Grande High School; Alaina Carson, La Grande High School; Sophia Pettit, Cove High School; Kyler Malone, La Grande High School.
Returning college students: Alexandra Colton, Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine; Aspen Birkmaier, Eastern Oregon University.