EDUCATION
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is helping graduating high school seniors continue their education through awarding 135 Scholarships of Excellence, totaling $337,500. The $2,500 scholarships were awarded to students across Bluebonnet’s 14-county service area who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, an associates degree or a trade-and-technical certificate. This included seven students who are graduating from San Marcos High School.
“Congratulations to these outstanding, hard-working students who earned a Bluebonnet scholarship this year, and thanks to all the students who participated in the application process,” said General Manager Matt Bentke. “It is rewarding for Bluebonnet to help these students take the next step in their academic and career goals. One of our values is supporting the communities in which we live and serve. We are proud to support these students who will continue to give back to their communities.”
The SMHS students receiving scholarships from Bluebonnet Electric are Kaden Pena, Katalina Postert, Noah Sierra, Phone Kant, Ysabel Castillo, Brenden Jones and Annabella Wagner.
More than 260 graduating high school seniors submitted scholarship applications this year. Applications were submitted in March, and scholarships were awarded in April. Scholarships applications were awarded based on the students’ academic achievement, community service and leadership, work experience and extracurricular activities, awards, honors and an essay.
To be eligible for a Bluebonnet Scholarship of Excellence, a student must reside with a parent or guardian who is a Bluebonnet member. Students may attend a public or private high school, or be homeschooled. For information on the 2024 Scholarship of Excellence recipients, go to https://bluebonnet. coop/2024-scholarship- recipients.
Money for scholarships does not come from Bluebonnet members’ bill payments or rates. Scholarships of Excellence are funded through Bluebonnet’s Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament and unclaimed capital credit payments to former members that are returned to Bluebonnet from the State of Texas to be used for scholarships.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is one of the largest electric cooperatives in Texas and has been serving its members since 1939. Bluebonnet serves more than 131,000 meters and owns and maintains 12,800 miles of power lines, located across more than 3,800 square miles within 14 Central Texas counties. Bluebonnet’s service area stretches from Travis County to Washington County, and from Milam County to Gonzales County. For more information about Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, go to bluebonnet.coop and follow the co-op on Facebook and Twitter.
