SDCEA Announces Scholarship Winners

We at Sangre de Cristo Electric Association (SDCEA) are proud to support our community by offering scholarship opportunities to local students. This year, 16 students from Buena Vista, Cotopaxi, Salida, and Fountain Valley High School (Colorado Springs), were awarded scholarships for the 2022-2023 school year.

“Our scholarship program is just one way that we serve our members and the community. As a nonprofit that is locally controlled, we are able to reinvest our earnings back into the community through programs like this one. We are committed to supporting the next generation of leaders as they pursue their dreams of higher education,” SDCEA Chief Executive Officer Paul Erickson said.

One four-year scholarship at $2,000 per year was awarded to Samantha Voeglein, a senior at Cotopaxi School. Twelve one-year $2,000 scholarships were awarded from SDCEA, one employee dependent award of $2,000 was granted. Two $1,000 grants were awarded, comprised of $500 from Tri-State Generation & Transmission, with a $500 match from SDCEA.

A scholarship committee consisting of SDCEA directors and staff not related to students applying for the scholarships evaluated applications to determine awards. Each applicant’s personal identifying information is redacted prior to the independent review by each member serving on the committee, then brought to the committee as a whole for discussion and decision-making.

Subject to the availability of funds, SDCEA may award scholarships each year to assist students in attaining higher education at accredited schools, including students applying for lineworker school. Students who have applied for or received scholarships in previous years are also eligible to apply if they meet eligibility criteria. Application information is posted on SDCEA’s website and made available to area high schools in the company’s service territory in the fall of each year.

“We wish these students all the best in their future endeavors and know that they will make us proud. Congratulations!” Erickson said.

The scholarship program is supported through unclaimed or donated capital credits, not through charging higher rates to our consumers.