RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 13, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Through their Foundation, State Employees' Credit Union (SECU) members are continuing their educational commitment for North Carolina students with the renewal of the SECU Foundation "People Helping People" High School and Community College Scholarship programs. Since 2005, the scholarship programs have provided students with the opportunity to pursue and achieve higher educational goals. With the 2014 scholarship renewals, the SECU Foundation funding commitment exceeds $42 million!
Annually, SECU Foundation's high school program provides a $10,000 four-year college scholarship to a graduating senior from each of the traditional public high schools and two charter high schools in North Carolina. The scholarship is awarded for study at one of the 16 constituent campuses in the University of North Carolina System. The community college program provides two $5,000 scholarships annually to each of the 58 community colleges in the North Carolina Community College System.
Recipients for both "People Helping People" scholarship programs are selected by each school's scholarship committee. Students are chosen based on their embodiment of the credit union "People Helping People" philosophy, recognizing leadership, excellence of character, integrity and community involvement, along with an overall academic grade point average of 2.5 or higher.
Rebecca Lukasik of Harrisburg, N.C. received a $10,000 high school scholarship to North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2012. Upon completion of her first year at NCSU in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, she wrote to SECU members, "These days, college is costly and can place a significant burden upon students and their families. This scholarship is allowing me to work towards graduating from NCSU with a degree in Biology. I'm motivated to succeed and achieve my goal of attending medical school and fulfilling my dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Thank you for the scholarship which has given me a great opportunity to learn and pursue dreams."
About SECU and the SECU Foundation
A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the State of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 76 years. With more than 1.8 million members, SECU provides services through 253 branch offices, 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Contact Centers and a website, www.ncsecu.org. The SECU Foundation, a 501c (3) charitable organization funded solely by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services.