San Patricio Electric Cooperative will award 20 scholarships, worth $5,000 each to graduating seniors in the co-op’s service territory. Of these, 15 scholarships will be awarded to students planning to pursue an academic degree. Another five scholarships will be awarded to students planning pursue a vocation or trade.
“One of our founding principles as a cooperative is to give back to the communities we serve and our scholarship program is one of the ways we continue our commitment to that,” said Ron Hughes, general manager at SPEC. “We are proud to invest in our future generations by supporting their educational goals.”
SPEC’s scholarships are available exclusively to students whose parents or guardians are active members of the co-op and receive SPEC electric service at their primary residence.
To qualify, students must be seniors enrolled at a high school in SPEC’s nine-county service area: San Patricio, Live Oak, Bee, Refugio, McMullen, Jim Wells, Goliad, Aransas, and Nueces. Applicants completing a non-traditional education, such as homeschooling, are also eligible to apply.
SPEC requires that recipients be of good character, as referenced by three letters of recommendation from teachers, principals, counselors or staff members at the school they are attending (or the home school equivalent).
An independent scholarship committee reviews each application and selects the co-op’s scholarship recipients based on leadership abilities, community involvement, academic achievement and financial need.
Each $5,000 scholarship is awarded over four semesters and is contingent on the student meeting the cooperative’s requirements. To receive each $1,250 installment, the student must be enrolled in classes full-time and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
The scholarships are paid through the San Patricio Electric Education Trust, which was established by SPEC in 1999 to provide area students with financial assistance to continue their education goals. Since it was founded, the fund has awarded more than $675,000 in scholarships to area students.
The deadline to apply is April 3. Applications and more details can be found here.