2025 Scholarships

HANCOCK-WOOD CHILDREN OF MEMBERS (C.O.M.) SCHOLARSHIPS

Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative has granted more than $100,000 in scholarships within the last decade. An additional Power Systems Engineer (PSE) Scholarship has been added to the program. The winner of this scholarship is eligible for paid internship(s) in the co-op’s engineering department. 

AWARD CATEGORIES ARE:

First place - $3,500
Second place - $3,000
Five honorable mentions: $2,000 each

Power Systems Engineering - $2,000 annually for four years and a potential paid internship. 

2025 APPLICATION

(See application instructions below)

If you do not have Adobe Reader software, it is a free download available here:
https://get.adobe.com/reader/. (If you do not want to install McAfee Security Scan Plus and True Key™ by Intel Security, uncheck their boxes prior to downloading.)

  1. Open the application file from our website using Adobe Reader, and save it.
  2. Locate the "Edit PDF" button to the left and choose the "add text" option to complete the form.
  3. Complete the first two pages using Adobe Reader.
  4. Save the file again, then print all pages.

Take the application to a teacher and your guidance counselor to complete the faculty portion. It is preferred those sections are typewritten; however, they may be handwritten if necessary.

Applications and letters of recommendation must be received by Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative, Inc. by February 7, 2025. Applicants who are selected to interview will be contacted to schedule a day and time.

SCHOLARSHIP RULES AND ELIGIBILITY 

  • Entrants must be the child or legal ward of a Hancock-Wood Member (the account must be in a parent’s name). Employees (and their children) of business organizations receiving electric service from Hancock-Wood do not qualify for this program.
  • Application information must be confined to the official nomination form with only grade transcripts, teacher recommendations, and a recent photo attached. Teacher recommendations must be no more than 500 words.
  • Entrants must be graduating seniors planning to attend a college or university of their choice in the fall.
  • The student must be a current high school senior with a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher. An official high school transcript is required.
  • The PSE scholarship requires a 3.0 GPA or higher and the student must apply to an accredited engineering education program. An official high school transcript is required.
  • Any applicant who already has received a full tuition scholarship to a college or university is ineligible for a scholarship from Hancock-Wood or OEC. Applicants should alert Hancock-Wood if this occurs.
  • Applications must be complete or are ineligible.
  • Applications must be returned by February 7, 2025.
  • If the Hancock-Wood scholarship is not used in the same year issued, it will be forfeited.

SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION PROCESS

  • Applications are screened by the Scholarship Committee for academic achievement including GPA, ACT/SAT college test scores, and the variety and quality of extracurricular and community activities.
  • Those selected for an interview will be asked questions about their scholastic achievements, career goals, and their knowledge of electric cooperatives, specifically Hancock-Wood.
  • The committee will weigh responses based on content quality and presentation abilities. Applicants are encouraged to speak about how the availability of electricity impacts their daily lives.

C.O.M. SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS 

• Winners will be notified by phone. 
• Winners will be invited to a Hancock-Wood Board of Trustees recognition ceremony in March. 
• Hancock-Wood representatives are available to present a scholarship certificate at a winner’s school. 
• The check will be mailed to the chosen school and made co-payable to the student and school. 
• First-place winner is eligible to compete in the OEC scholarship competition in Columbus for additional awards.

ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative also sponsors $1,000 scholarships each at the University of Findlay and Owens Community College for any Member or child of a Member. Information on eligibility for these programs may be obtained through those educational facilities’ respective financial aid offices. 

A senior who meets the eligibility requirements may apply in more than one competition; however, he or she may win only one scholarship from Hancock-Wood. 

The University of Findlay Scholarship
Hancock-Wood sponsors a scholarship at the University of Findlay, open only to current U of F students (not incoming freshmen). If you have questions, contact the University of Findlay financial aid office at 419-434-6923.

Eligibility: A. Entrants must be the child or legal ward of an HWE member or must be the child/ward of persons living on our lines. Therefore, if your parents are Hancock-Wood members (the account must be in their name), regardless of residency, you are eligible. B. Children of renters are not eligible unless the parents are receiving electricity in their name, which makes them a member. C. Employees -- and their children -- of businesses on our lines do not qualify as Hancock-Wood members.

Owens Community College Scholarship
Hancock-Wood also sponsors scholarships at Owens Community College, which has Toledo and Findlay campuses. You must call their financial aid office at 567-661-7876 for information on how to apply, or visit their website.

Eligibility: A. Entrants must be the child or legal ward of a Hancock-Wood member or must be the child/ward of persons living on our lines. Therefore, if your parents are Hancock-Wood members (the account must be in their name), regardless of residency, you are eligible. B. Children of renters are not eligible unless the parents are receiving electricity in their name, which makes them a members. C. Employees -- and their children -- of businesses on our lines do not qualify as Hancock-Wood members.

STATEWIDE SCHOLARSHIPS
The senior who is awarded first place in the Hancock-Wood’s Children of Members (C.O.M.) scholarships will go on to compete in the statewide competition conducted by Ohio's Electric Cooperatives (OEC) at their offices in Columbus, Ohio.

Participants in the statewide competition must be receiving electric service from Hancock-Wood at the time of the competition (typically in April). A portion of the statewide competition also deals with cooperative knowledge, so entrants at the statewide level should study The Cooperative Difference.

NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Youth Tour Alumni Scholarship
The Glenn English National Cooperative Leadership Foundation encourages educational advancement by awarding high-education scholarships to eligible students who have shown a commitment to the Seven Cooperative Principles. Each year, one $10,000 scholarship (distributed in two $5,000 installments) will be awarded to a student working on their first bachelor’s degree program. For more information including how to apply, click here.

Eligibility: An applicant must:

  • Be a US citizen
  • Have participated in NRECA’s Youth Tour program
  • Have received academic credits equal to at least one year of college
  • Have completed at least one semester at an accredited university or college as a full-time student
  • Enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited university or college by the application deadline.
  • Students must be working on completing his/her first undergraduate degree

*Individuals pursuing a second undergraduate degree and/or any higher degrees are not eligible to apply for the scholarship.