Continental surpasses $1 million in scholarships

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Continental Divide Electric Cooperative's Educational Foundation, which has been awarding scholarships to local students since 1989, has surpassed the $1 million mark this year.

The foundation's original scholarship amount, awarded to just 12 students in 1989 was $1,000 each, Mac Juarez, cooperative spokesman, said.

This year, the scholarship amount is $2,000, up from $1,500 last year, and was awarded to 29 students from nine communities.

The total amount of scholarships awarded since 1989 is $1,059,500.

Scholarships are awarded to those students who meet the application requirements and are selected by a special scholarship committee, Juarez said. In addition, scholarship grants are renewable each year for up to four years as long as the student, traditional or non-traditional, is attending an accredited college or university in New Mexico.

The scholarships are funded by private donations and unclaimed capital credits.

Capital credits are margins in excess of the costs required to operate the cooperative. That money is returned each year to the cooperative's consumers, depending on when service was established. The amount returned is determined by the amount of power consumed by the cooperative's member. Cooperative consumers become members when they begin using power and a $5 cooperative membership fee.

Only cooperative members and family members are eligible to receive these scholarships.

A basic requirement is the student must have graduated from a high school or acquire a GED, Juarez said.

Each student is required to complete an application that several pages long, provide letters of recommendation from his or her high school, and show that they have participated in extracurricular activities, Juarez said.

This year's scholarships went to, by community:

• Grants: Kandas Atwater, Joselyn Chavez, Joshua Gallegos, Judy Gonsar, Justin Grider, Jessica Hunter, Anthony Johnson, Elise Larsen, Lee Anna Olguin, Jameson Ray, Vail Woodard.
  
  
• Milan:Brittany Garcia, Karla Hale, John T. Hobbs III, Katrina Peek, Michelle Mascarenas, Michelle Yazzie.
  
  
• Bluewater: Jeanette Hassell, Mignon Nielson, Amilia Notah.
  
  
• Gallup: Teresa Leslie.
  
  
• Thoreau: Natalie Aarons Cooke
  
  
• Ramah: Matthew Bloomfield, Forrest Grace, Danielle Lewis.
  
  
• San Fidel: Cassandra Sanchez, Eugene Calavaza.
  
  
• Seboyeta: Misty Vallejos.
  
  
• Carlsbad: Kolton Harper.

In addition to the $2,000 scholarships, Continental Divide's power provider, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Assoc., awarded two $500 scholarships to: Kelly P. Cassidy and Rolando Morales, both of Grants.

To contact reporter Jim Tiff, call (505) 287-2197 or fax (505) 287-2581