The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) announced it has awarded $173,000 in scholarships to 55 students from rural communities served by members of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. Since the foundation was started in 1994 as the philanthropic arm of NTCA, FRS has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 800 students. This year – the foundation’s 30th anniversary – FRS is awarding the largest number of scholarships and greatest total amount in its history.
The FRS Scholarship Program awards one-time scholarships to students from across rural America for their first year of college, university or vocational-technical school. In addition, FRS awards one scholarship to a student entering law school. Each student is sponsored by an NTCA member company that share information about the available scholarships in their communities.
In addition to thirty-three $2,500 FRS Scholarships, other notable awards included:
• Two new $9,500 V+C Trust Scholarships to students pursuing environmental sustainability, social justice, telecommunications or economic development.
• One $7,000 Everett Kneece Scholarship to the highest achieving applicant.
• Four $5,000 JSI Scholarships to students with an interest in science, math or engineering (STEM).
• One $5,000 Herbert and Isabel Bitz Memorial Scholarship to an individual who exhibits a strong dedication to rural America.
• Four $5,000 Sarah Tyree Good Neighbor Scholarships to students who demonstrate what it means to be a “good neighbor” through humanitarianism, inclusion and kindness to others.
• One $2,500 Diana Jo Dryer Memorial Scholarship – Sponsored by INDATEL Services to a woman who intends to major in and study business.
• Four $1,000 Roger Cox Scholarships, to students who reside in the Atlantic Telephone Membership Company service territory in North Carolina, individuals living in rural areas of North Carolina and South Carolina.
• Two $1,500 TMS Scholarships to customers of Ardmore Telephone and/or West Kentucky and Tennessee Telecommunications Cooperative.
• The $5,000 James L. Bass Legal Scholarship to an individual entering his or her first year of law school. This is the fourth year FRS has awarded the Bass scholarship, named for a long-time leader of NTCA and the broadband industry.
“Receiving an FRS scholarship is quite an achievement because we had more than 1,300 applications for the 55 scholarships we awarded this year,” said FRS Executive Director Pam Becker. “The students who are receiving these scholarships are curious, smart, hard-working, kind, and give me hope for the future. Providing opportunities for young people in rural communities has been a core mission for FRS for the past 30 years, and it would not be possible without the generous support of NTCA members and other individuals in the rural broadband industry. We are excited to announce our 2024 scholarship recipients today and look forward to seeing what they accomplish in the future.”
A full list of scholarship awardees and the NTCA member companies who are partnering with FRS to make the funding possible is available online.