TUCSON, Ariz. (Aug. 12, 2016) Vantage West Credit Union (
www.vantagewest.org), Southern Arizona"s largest credit union, is supporting 10 local college students as they head back to school by awarding each of them a $1,000 scholarship. The $10,000 in total scholarships is double what Vantage West offered in 2015, and this year, solely focused on students who are pursuing higher education in Arizona.
According to an annual survey by The College Board, a non-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity, in-state tuition and fees at Arizona"s three public universities increased 20 percent between 2010 and 2015.
"We saw an opportunity to increase our investment in local education this year and we seized it. After learning about the accomplishments and academic achievements of these students, I"m so glad we were able to offer aid to twice as many students this year," Robert D. Ramirez, Vantage West president and CEO, said. "As the cost of higher education continues to increase, we"re hopeful these scholarships will ease some of that financial burden."
A panel of judges selected scholarship recipients based on a number of criteria, including academic merit, the quality and content of a written essay, and a student"s character as demonstrated by activities and volunteerism.
The 10 scholarship recipients include students from Tucson, Vail and San Manuel, Arizona, who will be studying justice, engineering, biological sciences and biochemistry at Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona. The recipients include:
- Victoria Alonso, Changemaker High School in Tucson, headed to ASU.
- Courtney Barger, Vail Academy and High School in Vail, headed to ASU.
- Kristen Faltz, Cienega High School in Vail, headed to U of A.
- Morgan Fisher, Mammoth-San Manuel High School, San Manuel, headed to NAU.
- Steven Fried, University High School in Tucson, headed to U of A.
- Stephanie Martinez, Sahuaro High School in Tucson, headed to ASU.
- Mickey McCullough-Cruz, San Miguel High School, headed to U of A.
- Christianna Pinkney, Empire High School in Vail, headed to NAU.
- Chloe Wiberg, Mountain View High School in Tucson, headed to U of A.
- Haley Williams, Catalina Foothills High School in Tucson, headed to U of A.
Learn more about Vantage West"s scholarship program
here.
About Vantage West Credit Union
Vantage West Credit Union is a $1.5 billion financial institution in Arizona, which serves a growing membership of nearly 135,000. Vantage West has branches in Pima, Pinal, Maricopa and Cochise counties and serves its vast membership via online channels, as well.�Vantage West is a full service financial institution, offering consumer and business loans, credit cards, and deposit products, as well as retirement accounts and other financial services.
