HOUSTON–Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union has named the students selected this year to receive higher education scholarships totaling $11,500. Cy-Fair FCU awarded scholarships to seven high school seniors from Cypress-Fairbanks ISD and Spring Branch ISD, including a $3,500 full-year of tuition at Lone Star College through the Pattie R. Miller Memorial scholarship.
“I am so grateful for this scholarship. It will give me the ability to put my time into internships and educational projects rather than a minimum wage job,” said Katherine Tran, 2020 Pattie R. Miller Memorial scholarship recipient. “This scholarship means investing in my education and my goal of becoming an orthodontist.”
Cy-Fair FCU also awarded one student with a $1,500 Bi-Lingual Spanish/English Scholarship, a scholarship offered to students who are enrolled in English as a Second Language or New America College English Acquisition classes. To qualify, students must submit their essay in both English and Spanish. This year’s winner was Andrew Cortes from Cypress Creek High School.
“This scholarship gives me a boost to continue my education and I am so thankful for being selected,” said Cortes, 2020 Bi-Lingual Spanish/English Scholarship recipient. “I am excited about what my generation will offer as leaders in the future workforce.”
In addition, the credit union awarded four scholarships to deserving students who demonstrated Cy-Fair FCU’s values supporting their communities. One CFFCU Membership scholarship was also awarded to an outstanding student who is either a member or has an immediate family member with an account at the credit union.
“All my life I have pushed myself to set goals and achieve them and college is the next challenge I am excited to take on,” said Chloe Tang, Community Scholarship Recipient. “Receiving financial support allows me to focus on reaching my goals of becoming an electrical engineer.”
In an effort to address the adversity and inequality issues that some students face, this year Cy-Fair FCU awarded additional financial support.
“2020 has been a difficult experience for everyone, including students who are facing challenges no one anticipated. In addition to recognizing their strong character, we believe these scholarships will help equip them with the financial means to meet these challenges head-on as they embark on the next level of their education,” said Cameron Dickey, Cy-Fair FCU’s CEO and President. “We couldn’t be more excited to see what these students do next.”
Cy-Fair FCU began its scholarship program in 1992 and has now awarded financial assistance to 209 students totaling $218,500. The scholarship program is open to high school graduates from all school districts within Harris and Waller Counties, and funds may be used for tuition at any accredited college, junior college or university.
The scholarship selection process began in March 2020 and is facilitated by an independent, all-volunteer committee composed of various community leaders. This year’s scholarship committee was tasked with scoring the submitted essays in order to help determine the recipients.