Now in its 35th year, the scholarship program has evolved under the credit union’s SELCO Steps Up initiative, awarding nearly $80,000 in scholarships to traditional, nontraditional, and vocational students

SELCO Community Credit Union will begin accepting applications on Saturday, Feb. 1 from eligible students interested in its expanded SELCO Steps Up scholarship program, which will award nearly $80,000 in student support. The application window for prospective students will remain open through Monday, March 31.

SELCO will award a total of 20 scholarships to eligible students—which includes traditional, nontraditional, and vocational students—worth $3,500 each. One recipient will receive the $7,500 Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship, awarded to a Lane County student who has demonstrated excellence in education, leadership, or civic responsibility despite adversity or lack of opportunity.

SELCO’s scholarship program received a significant overhaul as part of the SELCO Steps Up philanthropy initiative that the credit union launched in 2024. Not only has the total value of SELCO’s scholarships increased to $77,500, up nearly 50% from 2023, but eligibility was expanded to include vocational, continuing, and nontraditional students, as well as students already attending an accredited college, university, or vocational school.

“We saw an opportunity to make a greater impact in reducing the financial burden placed on a wider range of deserving students,” said Craig Carpenter, SELCO’s Senior Vice President of Lending & Business Banking. “For 35 years and counting, SELCO’s goal with these scholarships has been to help outstanding students across the educational spectrum reach their goals. The surge in applications last year shows that we are on the right track in keeping up with the educational goals of students today. Through the Steps Up program,we’ll continue to evolve this and other initiatives to ensure they remain meaningful and relevant.”

From the official launch of SELCO Steps Up in February 2024 through the end of the year, SELCO awarded $415,000 in support through educator-support initiatives, scholarships, educator-support initiatives, and impact-driven sponsorships—the largest year of giving in SELCO’s nearly 90-year history. In addition, SELCO employees logged nearly 1,400 volunteer hours over that same time. This additional investment in time and resources is in direct response to the growing and evolving needs of our community.

Case in point, the changes made to the scholarship program last year were necessary to address the evolving ways students approach education. Trade school enrollment surged 4.9% nationwide from 2020 to 2023, while university enrollment slipped 0.6% over the same period, according to a recently released report by Validated Insights, a higher education marketing firm. SELCO’s scholarship program—once limited to high school seniors headed to a two- or four-year college—better reflects this shifting academic landscape.

In addition, SELCO’s scholarships can be used for any educational-related expense, so they are uniquely suited to help students meet the demands of rising educational and living expenses.

Reese Biehler, a 2024 recipient from Cottage Grove, used his scholarship to attend the Northwest Lineman College in Idaho. By doing so, he was among the first to use a SELCO scholarship to attend a vocational school.

“Becoming the first person to receive a SELCO scholarship for the trades was an amazing feeling,” says Biehler, who now works as an aerial lineman for Hunter Communications, a Central Point, Oregon-based Internet provider. “With the help of that scholarship, I completed my training, and I am already in my career. Earning that scholarship was a big help, and it truly made me feel like I was included.”

To qualify, applicants must:

• • Plan to attend a vocational school or an accredited two- or four-year college/university.
  • Be SELCO members or immediate family members of a SELCO member. SELCO membership is open to anyone who lives or works in one of the 27 Oregon counties SELCO serves.
  • Have earned a GED or a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from a four-year accredited high school.

SELCO’s Scholarship Panel will review each application, and funds will be released to scholarship recipients by the end of June. The Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship winner will be selected from Lane County applicants. Prospective students are asked to apply online at selco.org/scholarships by March 31.

For more information on the scholarship program or other SELCO Steps Up student and educator support programs, visit www.selco.org/steps-up/student-and-educator-support/.