San Patricio Electric Cooperative is proud to announce the award of $100,000 in scholarships to 20 local high school seniors who will pursue a higher education in the fall. These 20 students will each receive a $5,000 scholarship.
The recipients for SPEC’s 2022 scholarship program are as follows:
Emma Butler – Butler Homeschool
Hope Carroll – George West High School
Nicholas Chavira – Odem High School
Aleena Cortez – Odem High School
Davynn Cruz – A.C. Jones High School
Ellie Daughtry – FrogSite Homeschool
Jacob Dougherty – Skidmore-Tynan High School
Elijah Flores – A.C. Jones High School
Juan “Simon” Fuentes – George West High School
Kaelie Galvan – Sinton High School
Sky Marin – Three Rivers High School
Marcus Martinez- Odem High School
Raquel Martinez- George West High School
Lucas Olivares – Skidmore-Tynan High School
James “Burke” O’Neil – George West High School
Ty Pressley – Orange Grove High School
Torie Rathke – George West High School
Weston Rhodes – George West High School
Landon Southern - Sinton High School
Ethan Thetford – Sinton High School
These recipients were selected by an independent scholarship selection committee, who evaluated applications based on leadership abilities, community involvement, academic achievement and financial need.
“SPEC has a long-standing tradition of supporting the communities we serve. That’s particularly true for our local youth,” said Ron Hughes, general manager at SPEC. “We’re proud to continue investing in the future of our communities through our scholarship program and we wish these students well as they continue their education.”
The San Patricio Electric Education Trust was established by SPEC in 1999 to provide area students with the funds necessary to continue their education goals. Since it was founded, the fund has awarded more than $1,100,000 in scholarships to area students.
The cooperative’s 2022 scholarship program was open to high school seniors in SPEC’s nine-county service area. Eligible students were enrolled at an area high school or non-traditional education setting, such as homeschooling. In addition, the student’s parent or legal guardian had to be a member of the cooperative and receive SPEC service at the student’s primary address.
SPEC’s scholarship award is paid over four semesters, provided the student meets the standards established for the scholarship program. Each semester, the student must show that they have successfully completed a full-time course load (12 hours or more), are enrolled as a full-time student for the upcoming semester and have maintained a GPA of 2.5 or greater.