PALMETTO, GA, April 23, 2024 – Whitney Benz of Trinity Christian School in Coweta County has been named a recipient of the 2024 Georgia EMC Walter Harrison Scholarship. This scholarship is sponsored by the electric cooperatives in Georgia, including Coweta-Fayette EMC.
Benz is one of 16 winners selected from applicants across the state for one of this year’s scholarships. Earlier this year, Benz competed against 76 other students from across Georgia for the scholarship, which provides $1,000 to help offset the rising costs associated with obtaining a two- or four-year college degree.
The Walter Harrison Scholarship is merit and need-based, with applicants being evaluated on criteria such as GPA, academic standing, scholastic honors, community involvement and financial need. Applicants submitted a brief essay explaining why they would be good candidates to receive the scholarship and outlined their educational and career goals along with any special circumstances. Students could use this opportunity to highlight community involvement or a desire to serve others. The scholarship is eligible to be used at any two-year or four-year accredited college or university in the state, including a vocational-technical institution. Applicants and their families must be members of Coweta-Fayette EMC and reside within the service area.
“Coweta-Fayette EMC is honored to recognize Whitney’s academic achievements and contributions to the community through the presentation of this scholarship in the amount of $1,000,” said Rachel Camp, Communications Coordinator with Coweta-Fayette EMC. “Being selected in the top 16 for this scholarship is a true testament to her scholastic achievements as well as her desire to serve others.”
Benz plans to attend the University of West Georgia in Fall 2024, where she will major in Biology with a focus in botany and sustainable farming. She is an active member of the Beta Club and serves as Co-Captain of the Archery Team at Trinity Christian School. She works as a Certified Lifeguard and is a member of Faith Lutheran Church, where she volunteers as an Assistant Sunday School Teacher and an Assistant Coach for their Soccer Camp. With a passion to serve others, she enjoys attending annual mission trips, where she has volunteered to help communities through building homes in southern Florida and Costa Rica and currently has plans to work in a missionary hospital and on a palm farm in Honduras this summer.
The scholarship is named in honor of Walter Harrison, a pioneer in the rural electricity movement and a leader at the local, state, and national levels in the electric cooperative program. It is funded by Georgia’s 41 electric cooperatives, including Coweta-Fayette EMC, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the Georgia Rural Electric Supply Corp. Established in 1985, the Walter Harrison Scholarship has awarded over $281,500 to 292 students since 1987, helping to ensure that students across the state have the opportunity to further their education.
Coweta Fayette EMC is a member-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 80,000 consumers in Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Fulton, Clayton, Meriwether, Spalding, and Troup counties.