SELCO Community Credit Union is awarding $52,500 to 20 graduating high school seniors across Oregon as part of its annual scholarship program. Nineteen of the scholarship recipients will receive $2,500 to use toward college-related expenses, and one outstanding senior has been awarded $5,000 as the Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship recipient.
SELCO started its scholarship program in 1991 as an important component of its mission to help members reach their financial and educational goals. In the past five years alone, SELCO has awarded more than $250,000 through this program. Unlike many scholarships, these funds can be used for any educational-related expense, not just tuition.
“To say this year’s recipients are impressive would be an understatement,” said Craig Carpenter, SELCO’s senior vice president of Lending & Business Banking. “Our hope is that the scholarships will help give these students a running start on the exciting futures ahead of them.”
SELCO’s Scholarship Committee chose this year’s recipients from students across 27 Oregon counties. To qualify, applicants must be a SELCO member or the immediate family of a SELCO member, graduating from a four-year accredited high school, hold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5, and plan to attend an accredited two- or four-year college or university.
As part of the application, scholarship hopefuls were also asked to submit an essay that answers the question: “You’ve been tasked with creating a time capsule to be opened in 2123. What do you include and why?”
The 2023 SELCO Scholarship recipients are:
$5,000 Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship
| Name | High School | City | County |
| Nakayda Jacobs | North Eugene High School | Eugene | Lane |
$2,500 SELCO Scholarships
| Name | High School | City | County |
| Tamerra Cervantes Carlos | Springfield High School | Springfield | Lane |
| Ashlee Dana | Creswell High School | Creswell | Lane |
| Jasmine Darmadi | South Eugene High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Lilly Dedera | Jefferson High School | Jefferson | Marion |
| Kallee Eck | Mohawk High School | Marcola | Lane |
| Hannah Ford | Willamette High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Austin Gienger | South Salem High School | Salem | Marion |
| Elli Higginbotham | Southridge High School | Beaverton | Washington |
| Kaitlin Mattson | Monroe High School | Monroe | Benton |
| Chazifer Mills | Henry D Sheldon High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Jaelynn Piccini | Willamette High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Lydia Plahn | Lowell High School | Fall Creek | Lane |
| Edie Quinn | South Eugene High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Naomi Saenger | South Eugene High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Desmond Scott | Springfield High School | Springfield | Lane |
| Kaylee Starbuck | Crane Union High School | Burns | Harney |
| Natafira Suryanata | Sheldon High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Priscilla Tam | South Eugene High School | Eugene | Lane |
| Sandra Vasquez | North Eugene High School | Eugene | Lane |
Each winner will be invited to attend a ceremony at the Graduate Hotel in downtown Eugene Thursday, May 25.
For a complete list of the 2023 SELCO Scholarship recipients, including photos, visit selco.org/why-selco/scholarships/2023-recipients.
About SELCO Community Credit Union:
Founded 87 years ago by a group of fiscally minded teachers, Springfield-based SELCO Community Credit Union today serves more than 150,000 members as one of the largest and longstanding Oregon-based credit unions. A not-for-profit, federally insured, member-driven financial cooperative with more than $2.6 billion in assets, SELCO provides its member-owners with exceptional rates and low fees on a full range of financial products and services, including banking, mortgages, personal and business loans, investments, and insurance. Membership is available to anyone who lives or works in one of the 27 Oregon or eight Washington counties SELCO serves.
selco.org • 800-445-4483
