Cooperative Scholarships

Each year Northern Electric Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative provide a $500 and a $1,000 scholarship respectively. The selection of the winners is based on SAT/ACT scores, grade point average, an application outlining high school/college honors, community and school activities, employment history, future career goals, a short essay focused on an electricity or cooperative theme and a written recommendation by a third party. The 2021 scholarship application can be downloaded by clicking this link or the button below.

The deadline to submit all scholarship applications to the Northern Electric office is February 12, 2021.

Completed applications should be mailed to:

Northern Electric Cooperative

ATTN: Kay Albrecht

PO Box 457

Bath, SD 57427

Applications can also be dropped off at the Northern Electric Cooperative office on U.S. Highway 12 in Bath, SD, by the deadline.

To find the location of the Northern Electric office follow this link.

2021 Scholarship Winners

Cullen McNeil ($1,000)

Hitchcock-Tulare senior Cullen McNeil has been selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship from Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

McNeil is the student body president at Hitchcock-Tulare High School, has a 4.133-grade point average, and has been on the honor roll for all four years of high school. McNeil is also a letter winner in football, wrestling, track, cross country, and basketball.

“This scholarship will help me pay for my future education as I attend Black Hills State University next fall. I will be paying for whatever loans and scholarships don’t cover, so receiving this scholarship will help me a lot,” McNeil said.

McNeil plans to pursue a degree in outdoor education at BHSU next fall. He hopes to work for a guide service and take clients on outdoor excursions.

 

Tessa Erdmann ($500)

Groton senior Tessa Erdmann will receive a $500 scholarship from Northern Electric Cooperative.

Erdmann plans to pursue a degree in agribusiness at South Dakota State University. The Groton High School senior has been heavily involved with her local 4-H and FFA chapters in the Groton area. In December, she was the winner of the Big Idea Competition in the ‘Agriculture Innovation’ category for her business, ‘Erdmann Precision Field Analysis.’ Erdmann said the Northern Electric scholarship will help her pursue her future career.

“I look forward to a career in an ag-related field such as crop insurance, or ag business management,” Erdmann said. “I am focused on a role that allows me to proudly work alongside others within South Dakota agriculture and that allows me to influence others in a meaningful way.”

Erdmann will receive her scholarship when she enrolls in school in the fall.