City Accepting PMPA Scholarship Applications Through March 29

 In Local News

Applications are now available for the Newberry-PMPA Community Scholar Scholarship. The City of Newberry will accept applications through March 29. The annual scholarship awards up to four qualifying high school seniors $500 towards their tuition to any South Carolina accredited university/college or technical college.

The Piedmont Municipal Power Agency (PMPA) is a joint action agency formed by 10 municipal electric utilities, including Newberry, in the northwest section of South Carolina. The agency provides wholesale electric service to its members primarily through a 25% ownership interest in Unit 2 of the Catawba Nuclear Station in York County, SC.

This will be the 12th year that the City of Newberry has been able to provide this scholarship to students through PMPA. In the previous 10 years, a total of 33 students have received the scholarship.

City of Newberry Utility Director Tim Baker said this scholarship gives students the opportunity to learn more about public power in their community.

“I’m excited that PMPA can offer this scholarship each year for students in our community,” Baker said. “This is a great opportunity.”

Applicants must have attended at minimum, three years of high school or home-schooling within the city limits of Newberry, SC and obtained a high school degree. They must also have a legal guardian who is a current residential electric utility customer of the City of Newberry Utilities Department.

They must also demonstrate personal leadership as reflected in a leadership role related to academic, co-curricular organization and clubs, community or church service, athletics or other similar areas.

Interested applicants that meet the above qualifications need to submit their application along with a letter of recommendation from a non-relative to attest to their character. A copy of  the student’s current high school transcript must also be included.

Full scholarship contest details have been sent to Newberry Academy, Newberry High School, Newberry College, Piedmont Technical College and the Newberry County Career Center. A scholarship form can also be completed and downloaded from the homepage of the City of Newberry’s website (www.cityofnewberry.com).

To receive the scholarship, applicants must attend a South Carolina accredited university, college or technical college and provide a letter of acceptance to that school.

The deadline for submissions to the City of Newberry is 5 p.m. March 29. A scholarship committee will select the winners of the scholarships. Each application will be assigned a “blind” designation, so the committee has no prior knowledge of who the applicant is for each submittal. As a result, city personnel and relatives are eligible to enter the contest.

In case of a tie, a personal interview may be requested of the finalists.

Winners of the scholarship will be announced in May. A first and second alternate may also be selected in the event a winner becomes ineligible. After winners have been chosen and a letter of acceptance from a South Carolina university, college or technical college has been provided, a check will be made payable to the school in the student’s name and credited to tuition.

Scholarship forms and more information are available on the City of Newberry’s website, www.cityofnewberry.com. A hard copy can also be picked up from Elyssa Haven at City Hall, 1330 College Street.

Applications can be submitted via email to ehaven@cityofnewberry.com, in person to Haven at City Hall, or mailed to Newberry – PMPA Community Scholar, City of Newberry, P.O. Box 538 and made attention to Elyssa Haven. As long as mailed applications are postmarked by the due date they will be accepted.

Those submitted will not be considered complete until all pieces of the form, including transcripts, letter of recommendation, and test scores have been turned in.

Questions may be directed to Haven at 803-321-1000.