Caldwell students awarded scholarships from Blue Ridge Energy

News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·2 min read

May 22—CALDWELL COUNTY — Blue Ridge Energy recently awarded $36,000 in college scholarships to eight students across its service area seeking to further their academic goals, according to a press release from Blue Ridge Energy.

The scholarships are part of the Blue Ridge Energy Leadership Track program designed to help high school students better prepare for acceptance into the college of their dreams. In Caldwell County, three students received a total of $16,000.

The recipients are:

Lillian Sebastian, daughter of Kenny and Amy Sebastian, $4,000 to attend Western Carolina University;

Paige Greene, daughter of Shane and Lynn Greene, $4,000 to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

In addition to the scholarship recipients above, Blue Ridge Energy committed $8,000 to Haley Dorsey of Hibriten High School to attend the university of her choice. Dorsey represented Blue Ridge Energy and the state of North Carolina on the Youth Leadership Council. Among her other duties in this role, she spoke at the annual meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in San Antonio, Texas this spring.

Blue Ridge Energy Leadership Track students begin college preparations in their freshman or sophomore year and develop leadership skills while preparing for the college acceptance and scholarship interview process. Leadership Track students also receive real-life skills like money management, social etiquette, and public speaking. As seniors, Leadership Track students are invited to apply for renewable scholarships worth up to $4,000 each.

This year marks the 65th year Blue Ridge has awarded college scholarships. To date, more than 515 area students and citizens have received over $646,000 to help them attend the college of their choice.

For more information about the Blue Ridge Energy Leadership Track, visit our website, BlueRidgeEnergy.com, click on the "Community" tab, or contact Tasha Rountree, director of community relations, at 759-8994 or trountree@blueridgeenergy.com,