RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) members are pleased to announce the renewal of the 2017 SECU Foundation “People Helping People®” High School and Community College Scholarship program, allocating over $5 million for North Carolina’s college-bound students. Since launching the program thirteen years ago, the member-funded SECU Foundation has made a cumulative investment to date of nearly $57 million, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to helping thousands of students fulfill their educational goals.
The high school program has two facets of funding – a $10,000 four-year college scholarship to a graduating senior from each of the regular public high schools and three charter schools in the state, as well as a $5,000 two-year scholarship to a graduating senior from each of the early college and cooperative innovative high schools in North Carolina. Each scholarship is awarded for study at one of the 17 constituent campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Community college funding provides two $5,000 scholarships to each of the State’s 58 community colleges.
Recipients are chosen by each school’s scholarship selection committee based on a candidate’s embodiment of the credit union philosophy of People Helping People®,” recognizing leadership, excellence of character, integrity and community involvement, along with an overall academic grade point average of 2.5 or higher.
Watauga High School graduate Dillon Carmichael was a 2016 recipient of a $10,000 high school scholarship. In his note of appreciation to SECU members he stated, “This grant has helped relieve my family of the financial burden that comes with a college education. I plan to pursue a degree in Marketing at Appalachian State University and I’m extremely excited to begin this next stage of my life and become a dedicated student and member of the local community. I’d like to thank SECU members for this amazing contribution to my education and future.”
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 79 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves 2.2 million members through 257 branch offices, nearly 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone 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.