EECU Announces Winners of Their Annual College Scholarship Program; $30,000 Awarded to Six North Texas High School Seniors

News provided by

Mar 31, 2016, 10:13 ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EECU has announced $30,000 in scholarship money to support six local graduating high school students with their college expenses. The EECU scholarship program began 28 years ago and honors former board member Glenn Mandeville, a life-long educator. Since that time, EECU has given $450,000 in scholarship money to local students.

Pictured are recipients of the 2016 EECU $5,000 Scholarship. EECU has provided $450,000 with this annual scholarship program. From left, Lonnie Nicholson, EECU President and CEO and Frank Molinar, EECU Board Chair of the Scholarship Committee congratulate students: Claire Hamilton, Makenna Barbara, Wyatt Reeves, K'see Shae Clark, Adam Thomas and Ethan Sij.

"EECU has a deep affinity for supporting education," said Lonnie Nicholson, EECU President and CEO. "Higher education can be an essential springboard to building productive lives, but unfortunately, college expenses also can be a significant burden. EECU is proud to be able to recognize and financially assist these deserving students, and we wish them tremendous success in their academic pursuits."

At the annual EECU meeting on March 22, EECU recognized the following six students, who are 2016 scholarship recipients. Each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship from EECU.

Makenna Barbara, Arlington Heights High School, plans to study Environmental Engineering at Texas Christian University.
- "I have chosen engineering because throughout my childhood, I have always loved to decipher puzzles and to tinker. In my mind that is exactly what engineers do, they solve problems. … I want to go into this field not only because it is my passion, but also because I feel it is necessary. The planet is dying and I feel as a global citizen it is my moral obligation to do everything in my power to save it. It is our most urgent problem, and I want to solve it."
K'see Shae Clark, Blum High School, plans to study Elementary Education at Stephen F Austin State University
- "My dream is to become an Early Childhood Teacher. I believe that God created me to make a difference in the lives of children. I love the idea of filling in a blank canvas and creating something from nothing. … I want to be that person that helps kids love learning again. I want to show them how fun school can be. I want to know that I made a difference in a child's mind. … I want each child that I come in contact with to feel loved and supported every second that they are with me, because it may be the only love and support they feel that day. Children are our futures leaders, dreamers, mothers and fathers."
Claire Hamilton, Kennedale High School, plans to study Spanish Education at East Texas Baptist University.
- "My grandmother and mom are both teachers, and I think that's where my interest to become a teacher originated. I have seen how rewarding a teacher's work can be, and I desire to have an impact on my students like they have. … Another reason I chose this major stems from a recent mission trip to a Spanish-speaking country where I was able to bridge the communication gap between Americans and Spanish speakers. … I'm so thankful I was able not only to communicate with the people, but to connect with them personally and talk about deep, meaningful experiences."
Wyatt Reeves, R.L. Paschal High School, plans to study Physics and Computer Science at college – school to be determined.
- "I was just in elementary school when my dad gave me a series of video lectures explaining without any mathematics, the main ideas of relativity and quantum mechanics. I was enraptured by this strange world where space and time stretch and bend like plastic wrap and where you can never know exactly where an object is at any point in time. To this day, I am still amazed that this world is our own, and that with precise experiment and careful mathematics, we can listen to the world and hear a story wilder than anything we ever could have imagined."
Ethan Sij, Decatur High School, plans to study Biology at University of Alabama.
- "In my junior year, I enrolled as a special programs assistant. In this class, I helped teach fellow high school students with special needs the life skills needed to function in this world. I can honestly say this class changed my life. I have seen first-hand the struggles that people with special needs encounter on a daily basis. I have witnessed their frustrations, and celebrated their triumphs. They have taught me to be humble and to appreciate life. This experience has firmly cemented my desire to help others and to become a physician."
Adam Thomas, Timber Creek High School, plans to study Vocal Performance or Music Education at college – school to be determined.
- "I have shown a liking to music and singing ever since I joined choir in the 3^rd grade. Making the all-state choir was one of the most influential experiences I had in determining what I wanted to do with my college education. … I have had the opportunity to volunteer as a student director for our districts 5^th and 6^th grade honor choir. Helping the intermediate school students with their music and giving them an exceptional musical experience to look forward to every week has taught me that impacting students' lives is something I could see myself doing as a profession."

The students were selected via a review process that included academics, attendance, service to community, extracurricular leadership activities, references and an essay.

EECU is an 80-year old community credit union based in Fort Worth, TX, serving approximately 175,000 members. EECU has 14 branches throughout North Texas and 55,000 free ATMS, along with complete on-line and mobile banking services. EECU was recently named by Consumer Reports as the highest ranking credit union in the D/FW Metroplex.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160328/348602

SOURCE EECU Credit Union