La Plata Electric Association awarded $102,000 in scholarships to nine local high school seniors this year.

The electric co-op received 56 applications. Recipients were chosen on merit by a 13-person committee from across LPEA’s four districts. The committee sought students who are passionate and focused on their studies and careers.

“We’re looking for well-rounded individuals, not just the academic achievers,” said Hillary Knox, LPEA’s vice president of member experience.

There was no GPA requirement for scholarship recipients.

“It’s so important to the future of our communities that employers support a skilled and educated future workforce, specifically in the STEM fields,” said Jessica Matlock, LPEA CEO. “We’ve been offering these scholarships for decades and are proud to have a handful of previous recipients working with us at LPEA. Regardless of where these students go, we congratulate them and wish them the best of luck!”

The LPEA Scholarship, which awards up to $28,000 for tuition, books and fees at any university or college, was awarded to two Durango High School seniors who plan to study engineering: Grace Holst at George Washington University and Nicholas Huber at Colorado School of Mines.

“As someone who wants to pursue a community-focused career path, I’m aware of how the crippling cost of postsecondary education could inhibit me from reaching that goal,” Holst said. “Receiving this scholarship has greatly reduced the financial burden on me and enabled me to enroll at a university that I otherwise may not have been able to attend. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity.”

The John Voelker Memorial Scholarship, which awards $10,000 for tuition, books and fees at any vocational or technical school or junior college, was awarded to Timothy Hittle of Pagosa Springs High School to study business at Colorado Mesa University and Jeremy Roderick of Ignacio High School to study fire science at Iowa Central Community College.

“This scholarship means I will be able to achieve my goals of becoming a firefighter and my dream of playing college football,” Rodrick said. “Thank you to the community of supporters who are helping me get there.”

The LPEA Lineman Scholarship, which awards $12,000 for tuition, books, fees and tools for line school, was awarded to Ryan Elliot of San Juan Mountain School to study at Colorado Mesa University and Dutch Revells of Big Picture High School to study at Western Colorado Community College.

“One winter a couple years ago, I saw lineman putting electrical lines up Red Mountain Pass. As we slowed down to watch them work on this sheer rock cliff running power into the little town of Ouray, it caught my attention that was what I wanted to do, supplying electricity to everyone, even the small towns never seen by many people in a winter storm,” Elliot said. “This scholarship will help me be one of those people up there supplying electricity to the U.S.”

The LPEA Scholarship, John Voelker Memorial Scholarship and LPEA Lineman Scholarship are funded by LPEA’s unclaimed capital credit money. When capital credit funds are not claimed after three years, they are put back into the community in the form of grants and scholarships.

The Basin Electric Power Cooperative Scholarship, which awards $1,000 for expenses at any school, was awarded to Thomas Pope of Durango High School to study chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin.

“This scholarship reminds me that I will always have the Durango community in my corner helping me chase my goals,” Pope said.

Lastly, the Tri-State G&T Scholarship, which awards $500 for expenses at any school, was awarded to Grace Martinez of Durango High School to study electrical engineering at Colorado School of Mines and Nell Taylor of Pagosa Springs High School to study biochemistry at an accredited university.

“The LPEA Scholarship will greatly facilitate my ability to attend college and delve deeper into the subjects of my passion,” Taylor said. “It will also enable me to continue learning and have access to people who can make me both a better student and member of society.”

The Basin Electric Power Cooperative Scholarship and Tri-State G&T Scholarship are funded separately by those organizations.

Scholarship recipients will be honored at the LPEA annual meeting at 5 p.m. May 12 in the LPEA truck barn in Bodo Park. All LPEA members are invited to attend.

For more information about the meeting, visit lpea.coop/annual-meeting.

This article was updated April 15 to correct the date of the meeting.