Palmer, AK - This year eight scholarships were awarded totaling $25,000. The eight scholarship winners were announced at this year's Annual Membership Meeting on April 25. The MEA Scholarship is designed to encourage individuals who are first-time college students, returning students, students participating in a vocational program, or students pursuing professional development that leads to a degree or certification. Applicants must be active members of MEA or a dependent of an active MEA member.
‍

2023 MEA Scholarship Recipients

Tristian Saccone - $2,000 scholarship. Tristian is working on post baccalaureate certification, and attending the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire earning her Master of Science in Communication Sciences & Disorders.

Katelyn Randall - $2,000 scholarship. Katelyn currently attends Boise State University and is majoring in Business Economics with a minor in Marketing.

Karson Kolberg - $2,000 scholarship. Karson currently attends Frontier Charter School and will be attending Ottawa University Arizona to major in Engineering.

Jazzie Trotter - $2,000 scholarship. Jazzie currently attends Eagle River High School and will be attending University of Southern California to major in Architecture.

Hannah Bleeker - $2,000 scholarship. Hannah currently homeschools through Interior Distance Education of Alaska in Eagle River and will be attending The Masters University, Santa Clarita to double major in Political Studies and Communication.

Ella Jordan - $2,500 scholarship. Ella currently attends Palmer High School and will be attending Vassar College to pursue a Pre-Med degree in Biochemistry.

Paul Ludwig - $5,000 scholarship. Paul currently attends Mat-Su Career Tech High School and will be attending Montana State University to major in Biological Engineering.

Jack Molloy - $7,500 scholarship. Jack currently attends Eagle River High School and will be attending the University of Southern California to major in Biochemistry.

The scholarship application becomes available at the end of January each year and applications are due mid-March. Scholarship winners are announced at the Annual Meeting in April.

Information about MEA Scholarships

In 1990, MEA’s Board of Directors created the Scholarship Foundation. The annual earnings from this fund provided scholarships to MEA members and their dependents, graduating high school students and college students for over thirty years, until the fund ran out. Since 2022, the MEA Board of Directors has continued to fund the scholarship program through the operating budget. A scholarship committee made up of MEA members from various professions and communities review and select scholarship recipients based on their applications. Scholarship applicants are asked to complete a financial plan and a short essay regarding the importance of member-owned cooperatives to both the student and the community.

The applicants and/or their parents/legal guardians must be active MEA members.

MEA is a proponent of vocational education and strive to award at least one scholarship to a student seeking a vocational certificate or degree.

For additional information on the scholarship program, or to express interest in service on the Scholarship Committee, please email pr@mea.coop.

‍