Scholarship recipients, on bench, from left, are Genna Crafts, Justin Balcar, Allison Benson. Middle row, from left, are Michael Svetlik, Alycen Faust, Natalee Rebeles, Blaine Mueller, Macy Bonds, Carson Klaerner, Ashlyn Cadena, Hunter Frosch, Shaylee Weldon-Diaz, Landry Masur, Jordyn Matus, Jacob Milburn, Steiley Beggs, Carson Royall. On stairs, from left, are Dawson Draehn, Liana Ybarbo, Judson Gold, Rylan Stork, Lane Bowen, Allison Frazier, Garrett Gerdes, Ehren Mitschke, Grace Sagebiel, Paige Aguilar, Melvin Evans.
Scholarship recipients not pictured are Allison Bowers, Ryan Ferguson, Kassidy Gill,
Faith Poe, Lawson Cruise, Kenzie Muhl, Amelia Meraz, Yadira Castro, Marissa Rocha,
Caitlin Tims, Dulce Gomez.
By Sidni Carruthers
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative recently awarded $2,500 scholarships to 79 area high school seniors, a total of $197,500. That is the largest number of scholarships awarded in a single year in the cooperative’s history.
Bluebonnet is a community-focused cooperative that invests in the young people and communities within its 3,800-square-mile service area.
The cooperative helps graduating seniors pursue higher education to further their academic and career goals. Scholarship money can be used for tuition, fees, books and other educational expenses at any accredited university, college or vocational school.
The scholarship program is open to any high school senior whose parent or legal guardian is a Bluebonnet member. Applicants must submit official applications, school grade transcripts and the names of the institutions where they plan to enroll as full-time students in the fall semester.
‘‘We’re thrilled to offer this scholarship program to our local students,’’ said Wesley Brinkmeyer, Bluebonnet's manager of community and development services. ‘‘Education is a key component of our cooperative’s mission, and we believe that investing in our young people is a great way to give back to the communities we serve.’’
The 244 scholarship applicants were evaluated based on academic achievement, community involvement, leadership skills and other factors, such as grade-point average and essay-writing abilities.
The scholarship recipients come from a variety of backgrounds and represent a range of academic interests and career aspirations. Some are interested in jobs in science, technology, engineering and math. Others are passionate about studying the arts, humanities and social sciences. Some plan to attend vocational schools to learn trades, such as welding, land surveying and cosmetology.
Elgin High School senior Genna Crafts plans to attend Texas Lutheran University in Seguin and hopes to become a neonatal intensive care nurse. “I love helping people. I want to go to the NICU and help babies,” she said.
Carmen Niemeyer, a senior at Brenham High School, plans to attend Texas A&M University in the fall to pursue a degree in animal science. Her mom, Jacy Niemeyer, advises her daughter to “find something you enjoy doing and dig into it. There are a lot of opportunities out there, so take them when you can and have fun doing it.”
Blaine Mueller, another senior from Elgin, hopes to open his own heavy equipment repair shop with a focus on fabrication solutions. Mueller plans to attend Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches in the fall.
Bastrop High School senior Natalee Rebeles plans to attend Texas State University to study nutrition and become a nurse. Rebeles hopes to graduate in five years. After that, her goal is to “begin narrowing down what type of nursing I want to do,” she said. Her mother, Damaris Chavez, is an inspiration in Rebeles’ desire to become a nurse because of how hard she worked to raise her and her siblings with a loving, caring attitude.
Bluebonnet raises scholarship money with an annual golf tournament.
Bluebonnet encourages any eligibile student who plans to graduate from high school in 2024 to apply for the scholarship program. Applications will be available online starting in November. Watch for more information on Bluebonnet’s pages in Texas Co-op Power magazine, our social media pages and on this website.