U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Announces 2023 Scholarship Awardees

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union and ARNIA Foundation announced the three scholarship awardees Carson Padilla, Mayra Olivas and Maya Leitka during their annual meeting on May 4, 2023.

Each year U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union and ARNIA Foundation award three unique $2,000 scholarships to students entering or attending an accredited two – or four-year college or university. Each scholarship has a special theme, and applicants are required to submit essays, videos, presentations, or podcasts.

This year's categories were: Concern for Community, Create a Business Plan and the Vigil Bullying Prevention Scholarship.

Mayra Olivas received the Concern for Community Scholarship where students were asked about a specific need in their community and what action they took to make a difference.

Mayra took notice of the increased trash and litter in her rural agricultural community and how this impacted the livestock living nearby. She organized a community clean-up day where neighbors, friends, and family came together to collect two 50-gallon bags of trash in addition to larger trash items.

Mayra attended U.S. Eagle's 2023 Annual Meeting to accept her award. When asked if she would be hosting any future community clean up events, she answered, "I plan to make the Community Clean Up Day an annual event around the same time every year."

Our second scholarship category was awarded to Maya Leitka for her impressive Create a Business Plan entry, which asked students to create a presentation for a made up or existing business.

Maya's thorough submission outlined her plan for a nonprofit organization in conjunction with New Mexico's Women, Infants, and Children Program, specifically aimed toward combatting diaper insecurity.

While receiving the scholarship award, Maya shared, "I found that there were a lot of community concern about there being less or virtually no support for diaper hygiene and diaper products for children, especially in New Mexico. I thought it would be a great opportunity to propose this plan".

The final scholarship category was awarded to Carson Padilla for his Vigil Bullying Prevention essay. Students were asked to describe their efforts in either directly participating or creating an effective anti-bullying initiative in this school or community.

Carson's essay focused on the Natural Helpers Group that he is currently involved with at Farmington High School, where he attends. The group is dedicated to anti-bullying and suicide prevention, where the overall goal aims to make the school a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.

In his essay, Carson reflected on his experience in the group, stating, "It has shown me that change is possible, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I am proud of the work we have done and the impact we have had on our school and community. I am confident that our efforts will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of students for years to come."

To read more about each recipient, visit www.useagle.org/learn/scholarships/2023.

About U.S. Eagle

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union is the state's first member-owned credit union. Founded in 1935, U.S. Eagle offers a full suite of financial products and services with locations in Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Farmington, and Santa Fe. With assets of more than $1.5 billion, more than 90,000 members, and as a four-time Forbes Best-In-State Credit Union award recipient, U.S. Eagle is where people mean more.^®

SOURCE U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union