Highland Telephone Announces Annual Scholarship Winners

The Manager and Board of Directors of Highland Telephone Cooperative, Inc., (HTC) presented this year’s scholarships to winning seniors Monday, May 22, 2023, at Company headquarters in Sunbright.  This is the twenty-third year the scholarships have been awarded by HTC to high-school seniors judged to be the winners of their essay contest.  The deadline for turning in the essays was March 18, and the winners were announced in May.  The essay was entitled How Quality Broadband in Rural America Can Create a More Equal Playing Field for Rural Communities and was judged by an impartial panel consisting of local teachers.

Recipients of the scholarship must present proof of enrollment or incurred fees at the post-secondary institution of their choice to receive the scholarship funds.  Students may use the scholarship at any post-secondary institution.

Family members of employees are excluded from the HTC Scholarship Fund Award. Highland Telephone awards one scholarship per county for eligible employee family members.

Relatives of HTC and HCC Directors are still excluded.

A total of eleven (11) $1,000 scholarships were awarded.

The winners are as follows:

• Lydia Byrd, 628/965 Sunbright/Deer Lodge exchange, David Freytag, Director

• Morgan Beard, 346 Wartburg exchange, Rob Davis, Director

• Kadence Jackson, 324 Petros exchange, Max Spurling, Director

• Kaitlyn Butts, 569/286 Oneida Exchange, Dorothy Watson, James E. Terry, Directors

• Elizabeth Terry, 569/286 Oneida Exchange, Dorothy Watson, James E. Terry, Directors

• Shannon Grace Baird, 663 Huntsville Exchange, Jan Byrd, Director

• Cayden Rowe, 354 Pine Knot Exchange, Sam Strunk, Director

• Tyler Sumner, 376 Whitley City Exchange, Carl “Skip” Jones, Tony Kidd, Directors

• Abby Long, Scott County Employee Scholarship Winner

• Julie Lay, McCreary County Employee Scholarship Winner

• Nathan Ward, Morgan County Employee Scholarship Winner

Also receiving checks were the schools that provided judges for the grading of the essays.  Their respective schools received a $500 contribution in appreciation for their time and effort in judging the essays.  The money may be spent as the school deems appropriate.

The response for the HTC Scholarship Fund was good this year.  HTC believes this is an excellent way to promote education among our young people and hopes that the scholarship program will continue to grow each year and that all seniors pursuing a secondary education will take advantage of this easy opportunity to win a scholarship.

HTC thanks everyone for his or her participation and support.