COLUMBUS, Ohio – Twenty-four high school seniors, all children of members of electric cooperatives in Ohio, competed for $49,000 in scholarships on April 12, 2023, at Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives (OEC) in Columbus, Ohio. Candidates sponsored by their local electric cooperatives were interviewed in person. Candidates received points for their scholastic records, personal achievement, school, and community activities. Points were also awarded for poise, preparedness, and appearance during the interview. All candidates were awarded scholarships ranging from $4,100 to $1,700. Candidates competed in local scholarship competitions at their local cooperatives before advancing to the statewide competition. See below for the top ten winners of the statewide competition.
- 1st: Alexandrea Howard, South Central Power Company
- 2nd: Cannon Moser, URE - Union Rural Electric Cooperative
- 3rd: Katie Oestreich, Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative
- 4th: Steeler Leep, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative
- 5th: Sierra DeWesse, Logan County Electric Cooperative
- 6th: Eliza Gariety, Pioneer Electric Cooperative
- 7th: Erin Bergman, Darke Rural Electric Cooperative
- 8th: Josey Richard, Frontier Power Company
- 9th: Kayla Nartker, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative
- 10th: Chelsey Hair, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative
Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives awards more than 50 scholarships per year to candidates who are affiliated with Ohio’s electric cooperatives (either as members, children of members, children of employees/trustees, or interns). The goal of this program is to inform candidates about the Seven Cooperative Principles, electric cooperatives, and encourage higher education. OEC fine-tunes its scholarship program every year to accommodate evolving possibilities.
Ohio’s 24 electric cooperatives, all Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives, serve more than 380,000 homes and businesses in 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
