Hardy Telecommunications is again sponsoring a $2,500 college scholarship for graduating seniors from East Hardy and Moorefield high schools.
Members of the Class of 2018 at EHHS and MHS can apply through Hardy for the national Foundation for Rural Service College Scholarship Program.
The scholarship, open to applicants who receive local telecommunications service (either telephone, internet, or television) from Hardy, is worth $2,000, and Hardy Telecommunications will contribute an additional $500 to the amount, bringing the total one-time scholarship award to $2,500.
Interested students can contact their guidance counselors at the two schools or download the application at the FRS website at www.frs.org. Students also can contact Derek Barr, Hardy director of customer service and sales, marketing and human resources, at 304-530-5000 for an application.
Completed applications must be sent to FRS postmarked no later than March 1, 2018, and must bear Derek’s signature as Hardy’s official representative, so students are asked to return their applications no later than February 9, 2018. Students should not send their applications directly to the Foundation for Rural Service. Applications should be returned to the guidance counselors at Moorefield and East Hardy high schools or to Derek at one of Hardy’s offices in Moorefield, Lost River and Wardensville. Derek will ensure that all necessary Hardy signatures are obtained and mail all applications to the FRS.
The FRS will award scholarships nationwide. A qualified selection committee of current educators determined by the Foundation for Rural Service will select the winners; Hardy Telecommunications itself has no input in the selection process.
Caitlin Fitzwater, graduate of East Hardy High School’s Class of 2017, is the most recent local recipient of an FRS Scholarship. Because the scholarships are awarded by region throughout the United States by an independent FRS panel, Hardy Telecommunications is not assured of having a student selected each year.
“We were thrilled to give the scholarship to Caitlin to further her academic achievements,” Derek said. “We hope that we can do the same for another local student in 2018.”
Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and graduating high school senior; accepted by an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school; have at least a C grade point average; express an interest in returning to a rural community following graduation; and be sponsored by a current member of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association.
The FRS was established in 1994 to promote, educate, and advocate rural telecommunications issues to the public in order to sustain and enhance the quality of life within communities throughout rural America.