East Hardy High graduate Jesse Cook received a head start on paying for college when he was presented a $2,500 scholarship from Hardy Telecommunications and the Foundation for Rural Service.
Hardy Marketing/Human Resource Director Derek Barr previously had announced that Jesse, a member of East Hardy High School’s 2011 class, was one of 31 students across the country to receive an FRS scholarship. Derek formally presented Jesse with the $2,500 on August 10.
“It’s my privilege to present Jesse with two checks totaling $2,500,” Derek said. “From my experience working with Jesse on Hardy’s Youth Advisory Board and accompanying him on the 2010 FRS Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., I know firsthand that he’s a wonderful student and person. I hope that this scholarship will help him as he pursues his life goals, and I wish him every success in the future.”
The FRS scholarship program annually awards $75,000 in scholarships to rural youth across the United States. Thirty-one scholarships were awarded nationwide this year out of almost 1,300 applications. The goal of the scholarship program is to help further higher education opportunities among rural high school students.
In sponsoring the scholarship, Hardy Telecommunications agreed to add $500 to the FRS award amount of $2,000. Scholarship recipients were selected by an independent team of reviewers from the education field. Hardy Telecommunications had no input into the selection process. To be eligible, recipients must be sponsored by an NTCA member company and must indicate a desire to return to their rural communities once their collegiate studies have been completed.
Jesse expressed his gratitude to Hardy Telecommunications and the Foundation for Rural Service.
“I find it an honor and a privilege to represent Hardy Telecommunications, this community and rural America in my future endeavors in education and beyond,” Jesse said after the earlier announcement of his award.
The FRS was established by the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association 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.