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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.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors unanimously voted during its April meeting to return $5.69 million in capital credits to member-owners of the cooperative, an increase of nearly $500,000 over last year. Beginning in May, Bluebonnet’s members will receive a credit on their electric bill for their share of $5.69 million in capital credits.
“Approving the return of capital credits each year is the most enjoyable and meaningful vote our Directors cast on behalf of our members,” said Ben Flencher, board president. “Historic growth in Bluebonnet’s service area and sound fiscal management has enabled Bluebonnet to return record amounts to our members. The credit our members will see on their bills in May is one of the many benefits of being a member-owner of Bluebonnet.”
Capital credits are revenue above what it takes to operate the co-op. Every April, Bluebonnet’s Directors approve the capital credits payment. When determining how much to return to members, the Directors consider the impact that the amount returned to members will have on electric rates and the co-op’s financial strength.
The amount each member gets back depends on how much electricity they used in previous years through 2022 and how long they have been a Bluebonnet member. Current members will see a credit on their May electric bill for their share of this year’s capital credits retirement. Former members who are still owed a capital credit will be mailed a check in May or June.
During the past 20 years, Bluebonnet has returned $84.8 million to members in capital credits.
“We are proud to return historic capital credits to our members year after year while successfully meeting the demand that tremendous growth has placed on our electric system,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager. “This is a major accomplishment that greatly benefits our members. Our Board of Directors and every employee is committed to being wise stewards of our members’ investment and providing the outstanding service they expect and deserve.”
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 125,000 meters and owns and maintains 12,000 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and Twitter.
High school students will represent Bluebonnet on annual trip this summer to Washington, D.C.
By Sidni Carruthers
Two high school students with lofty career goals have been selected to represent Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative on the annual government youth tour this summer in Washington, D.C. They will join hundreds of other students representing electric cooperatives from across Texas and the nation for a 10-day visit to the nation’s capital.
Johnique ‘‘J.T.’’ Thomas, a junior at Manor Early College High School, and Tara Williams, a junior at Colorado River Collegiate Academy in Bastrop, were selected to represent Bluebonnet. Emma Smith, a senior at Lexington High School, is the alternate representative who would join the tour if one of the winners is unable to attend.
Thomas and Williams will each receive a $1,000 scholarship in addition to the all-expenses paid Government-in-Action Youth Tour planned for June 11-19. While in D.C., the students will visit historic sites and the U.S. Capitol, meet members of Congress and attend events hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
The recipients were selected in March from among 19 applicants.
Thomas, 17, of Manor, is a standout athlete for the Manor Mustangs and is excited about playing college football after he graduates from high school in 2024. He plays center and has been a captain of the football team for the last year. Thomas is parliamentarian for the school’s National Honor Society and director of community service for the school’s Leo Club, the youth organization of the Lions Club.
After college, Thomas hopes to become a maternal-fetal medicine physician — an obstetrician with three additional years of training who specializes in high-risk pregnancies. This became his career goal, he said, when he learned that pregnancy is more risky in the United States than in other high-income nations. He also wants to better understand how government impacts health care.
Williams, also 17, of Bastrop, is the student council president at the collegiate academy and serves on the school’s student superintendent advisory council. In 2021, she reached the district level of University Interscholastic League speech and debate competitions. She credits those competitions with giving her confidence in public speaking and critical thinking, as well as the ability to respect others’ opposing opinions.
Williams participates in competitive dance through Liberty Dance Center in Bastrop.
She plans to attend a four-year university to study architecture with a career goal of preservation and conservation of historic buildings. She has always loved historic architecture, she said, adding that it saddens her “to see historic homes and buildings that are abandoned or deteriorating.”
Smith, 18, of Lexington is involved in several school organizations, including the National Honor Society and student council. She volunteers at her church, is active in the Lee County 4-H program and volunteers weekly at the local senior citizens center. Smith plans to attend Sam Houston State University in the fall to study political science and legal studies, with hopes of becoming an attorney and lobbyist in the oil and gas industry.
This will be the first visit to Washington, D.C., for both Thomas and Williams.
Thomas wants to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “I wrote about [the memorial] in a short essay about my great uncle who was sent to Vietnam and never came back,” the Manor student said. “I always heard stories about him and the person he was, and he has been a role model to me even though I never got to meet him. He is the man I want to grow up to be.”
Connecting to military history in D.C. is also on Williams’ list, because her family has ties to the armed forces. But she is most interested in seeing Capitol Hill and some of the city’s many museums, she said, describing herself as a “museum nerd.”
On their youth tour applications, students were asked to list their school accomplishments, extracurricular activities, leadership experience and community service work. They were also asked to submit a video in which they answered the question: “What is the greatest energy issue facing your generation, and how can youths be a part of the solution?”
During his video, Thomas spoke of the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and, more specifically, how that impacts communities and families with low incomes. “The rising prices of energy have a direct hand in the rising cost of everything else, which I am seeing playing out in my community,” he said. The solution for this, he proposed, is accessibility to renewable energy options for those communities and families.
In her video, Williams also touched on energy insecurity in local communities, and referenced severe weather in the region in recent years that has led to energy emergencies. “It is [my] generation’s duty and responsibility to collaborate with industry experts, as well as lawmakers, so that we can work towards ending energy [insecurity] for good,” she said.
Before leaving for D.C., the two Bluebonnet student representatives will join other tour members from across the state for a visit to the Texas Capitol and the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.
This is the 57th year for the youth tour program. It has more than 50,000 alumni, including CEOs, state and national elected officials, and countless business and community leaders.
