San Patricio Electric Cooperative has awarded 25 scholarships, worth $5,000 each, to area students who will pursue a higher education in the fall. Five of these scholarships were reserved for students who plan to attend a vocational or technical school.  The remaining 20 scholarships were awarded to students planning to pursue a degree at a college or university.

“One of our goals as a cooperative is to give back to the community. We could not think of a better way to do that than to invest in our future. These bright, young students deserve a chance to follow their dreams, and SPEC is incredibly happy to play a role in it,” said Ron Hughes, general manager at SPEC.

Recipients were selected by an independent scholarship committee who evaluated applications based on leadership abilities, community involvement, academic achievement and financial need.

The award is paid over four semesters, provided the student meets the standards established for the scholarship program. Each semester, the student must submit records showing they have successfully completed a full 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.

The scholarship program, made possible through the San Patricio Electric Education Trust, is open to high school seniors in the SPEC’s nine-county service area. To be eligible, students must be enrolled at an area high school or in a non-traditional education setting, such as homeschooling. In addition, the student’s parents or guardians must be members of the cooperative.

The recipients for SPEC’s 2015 scholarship are as follows: