Education has always been at the heart of SELCO, as it was built by educators, for educators, students and their families.
To carry on this legacy, in 2021, we commemorated the 31st anniversary of the SELCO Scholarships program by awarding $2,500 scholarships to 19 high school seniors and debuting a new $5,000 scholarship in honor of Richard Metzler.
Prior to serving on the SELCO board for many years, Metzler was a pillar of the Springfield Public Schools community, where he taught for over 30 years. Throughout his life, Metzler always showed leadership, resilience, and commitment to education.
Beginning this year, SELCO will award one student with the Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship, reserved for one student who exemplifies the same traits our longtime board member carried throughout his life.
And the inaugural Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship goes to...
The first recipient of the Richard Metzler Opportunity Scholarship was Rattapat Thongthaengthai from Springfield High School in Springfield, Oregon. Congratulations, Rattapat. We’re excited to see where your educational journey takes you.
2021 SELCO Scholarship Recipients
Please see a full list of the 2021 recipients below:
• Brad Alexander - Ridgeview High School, Redmond
• Derek Anderson - Elmira High School, Elmira
• Morgan Berg - Mountain View High School, Bend
• Elizabeth Black - South Eugene High School, Eugene
• Griffin Brand - South Eugene High School, Eugene
• Catherine Codding - South Eugene High School, Eugene
• Brooke Donner - West Albany High School, Albany
• Lucas Forshee - Waldport High School, Waldport
• Bryson Forsman - Elmira High School, Elmira
• Scout Gesuale - Bend Senior High School, Bend
• Holden Greenfield - Mountain View High School, Bend
• Courtney Haffner - Elmira High School, Elmira
• Megan Lawver - Baker Early Charter, Eugene
• Adelaide Liebhardt - Winston Churchill High School, Eugene
• William Nyman - Summit High School, Bend
• Lucy Plahn - Lowell High School, Fall Creek
• Baird Quinn - South Eugene High School, Eugene
• Ethan Sloan - South Eugene High School, Eugene
• Tanner Windom - Thurston Senior High School, Springfield
The 20 scholarship recipients for 2021 will receive a combined total of $52,000 in scholarship funds to use toward college-related expenses. Many of our recipients represent the Lane County and Deschutes County areas, coming from schools in Springfield, Eugene, Elmira, Bend, and Redmond. There were also recipients from schools in Albany and Waldport.
Regardless of where these students come from, they all have shown a true commitment to their education and are on their way to attending two- or four-year colleges or universities. Within the last five years alone, SELCO has provided $215,000 in scholarships, and we plan to keep building on this in the years to come.
“This has been a challenging year for students in Oregon and elsewhere, to say the least. We’re grateful to be able to provide these 20 deserving recipients with a head start toward realizing their educational and career goals,” said Craig Carpenter, SELCO’s Senior Vice President of Lending & Business Solutions.
Why these scholarships matter
At SELCO, we believe education is foundational and that no student should be held back by financial pressure. Each award helps with college expenses, from tuition and textbooks to essentials that pave the way for academic success.
We are proud to stand behind hard-working and driven students like the individuals in this scholarship class.
Congratulations and next steps
To all of our 2021 SELCO Scholarship recipients, we applaud you. From your dedication to your resilience, we’re honored to be a part of your academic journey.
If you would like to learn more about SELCO Scholarships and the application process, please visit our Applying for a SELCO Scholarship page on selco.org.
