East Hardy High Class of 2017 graduate Caitlin Fitzwater on August 14 was presented her scholarship checks totaling $2,500 from Hardy Telecommunications and the Foundation for Rural Service.
Hardy previously announced that Caitlin was one of only 47 students selected for the FRS College Scholarship. Recipients nationwide were chosen from a pool of more than 1,500 applicants from rural communities served by members of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association. Hardy Telecommunications is a member of NTCA. An independent committee of judges picked the recipients for FRS; Hardy Telecommunications was not involved in the actual selection, although only students sponsored by NTCA companies were eligible and Hardy agreed to sponsor part of the scholarship should a Hardy applicant be chosen.
“We’re happy to present these checks to Caitlin to help her pursue her education at West Virginia Wesleyan,” said Derek Barr, Hardy’s director of customer service and sales, marketing and human resources. “To have a local student selected by a nationwide panel of independent judges is quite an honor, and we’re proud to be part of recognizing and rewarding Caitlin’s achievement.”
The FRS College Scholarship Program awards one-time scholarships to students from rural America for their first year of college, university or vocational-technical school. Students completed an application process including an essay about how their rural community has shaped them and how they would like to help their area in the future.
The $2,500 scholarship is funded with $2,000 from FRS and $500 from Hardy Telecommunications.
Established in 1994 by NTCA – the Rural Broadband Association, the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that promotes, educates and advocates rural telecom issues in order to sustain and enhance the quality of life within communities throughout rural America.