Five Students Awarded Cooperative Youth Leadership Scholarships

Austin Carroll, Ellis High School, Kaydence Grebowiec, Plainville High School, Jaiden Pfannenstiel, Hays High School, and Madison Zerr Wheatland High School were the top four students in Western Cooperative Electric's Youth Contest and earned $1000 scholarships. Peyton Coonrod, Ellsworth High School, was selected as the Darrell Brown Memorial $250 Scholarship winner.

"We had an amazing group of students competing for scholarships this year," Nolan Numrich, Western's assistant general manager/member services manager, said. "For our local students, Western's Youth Leadership Scholarships are a great opportunity to achieve their educational goals."

Students who applied for Western's 2023 youth programs and scholarships were judged based on a short essay, a quiz on electric cooperatives, and a virtual interview with a three-judge panel. The four students with the highest scores were awarded $1,000 Cooperative Youth Leadership scholarships and a choice of youth trips. The student with the fifth most points was awarded the Darrell Brown Memorial Scholarship and the choice to serve as the trip alternate. If a scheduling conflict existed, the student with the next highest point total was offered the trip as an alternate. Contest details for the 2024 Youth Contest will be released in December 2023. If you have any questions, please contact nolann@westerncoop.com.

Western Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative headquartered in WaKeeney, Kansas. Established in 1945, Western now serves more than 12,000 meters and maintains over 4,000 miles of power lines across western and central Kansas. Together, with our members' help, Western Co-op is committed to building a stronger rural America. For more information about Western, visit www.westerncoop.com.