In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, graduating high school seniors have had to endure a lot of unexpected change and uncertainty. Their final semester of high school, and all the festivities that come with such a significant accomplishment, changed dramatically. We’re happy to be able to support these deserving students as they continue to pursue their educational goals.
In June, San Patricio Electric Education Trust awarded $30,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors in our service area. In total, we awarded 15 scholarships, worth $2,000 each, to local students who will continue their education at the collegiate level in the fall.
SPEC has a long-standing tradition of supporting our communities, and especially our youth. It’s our hope that they will complete their education and come back home to put their newfound knowledge and skills back into our communities, facilitating positive change and growth. We’re proud to continue investing in the future of our service area through our scholarship program and we wish these students well as they pursue their degrees.
The 2020 SPEC scholarship recipients are:
Alyson Bennett, Skidmore-Tynan HS
Logan Carroll, George West HS
Bryce Favor, Three Rivers HS
Isabella Flores, A.C. Jones HS
Megan Frerich, Odem-Edroy HS
Rachel Gallagher, Orange Grove HS
Bisente Ganceres, George West HS
Marianna Garza, A.C. Jones HS
Alton Hensch, Skidmore-Tynan HS
Colten Hesseltine, Refugio HS
Parker Lee, George West HS
Taylor O’Brien, Calallen HS
Kalah Pressley, Orange Grove HS
Caden Rozacky, Rozacky Academy
Kayten Snider, George West HS
An independent scholarship committee, made up of former educators, evaluated applications based on leadership abilities, community involvement, academic achievement and financial need to select the 15 recipients. All personal identifying information was removed from each application to ensure an unbiased review.
SPEC’s scholarship award is paid in $500 increments 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 grade point average of 2.5 or higher.
The San Patricio Electric Education Trust, established by SPEC in 1999, provides area students with the funds necessary to continue their education and meet their goals. Since it was founded, the fund has awarded more than $1,000,000 in scholarships to area students.
The cooperative’s 2020 scholarship 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.