Travis Credit Union recently awarded 20 local high school students the Mary Keith Duff Memorial Scholarship. TCU offers annual scholarships to assist its young members with the increasing cost of higher education and to reinforce its commitment to the financial success of our country’s future leaders.
All of the winning students received a ‘Gala in a Box,’ which included the scholarship award announcement of $2,000 to help with college expenses, as well as a $200 gift card that could be used towards a family dinner celebration. TCU board members as well as executive leadership members coordinated live Zoom calls with the families to join with them virtually in opening the ‘special delivery’ box and celebrating their achievement.
For 17 years, TCU has been awarding 20 local, college-bound seniors with a $2,000 Mary Keith Duff Memorial Scholarship. To qualify,students must be high school seniors, have a GPA of at least 3.0, and submit a 500-word personal statement essay on their plans for the future.
The selected scholars will be studying a range of subjects this fall, such as political science, nursing, molecular cell biology, neuroscience, or mechanical engineering to name a few. They will represent our communities in colleges like Seattle University, UC Davis, Duke University, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly, Indiana University, John Hopkins University, and Stanford University.
Nav Khanna, Executive Vice President of Travis Credit Union, addressed the winners during the virtual celebration: “The decision to take education to the next level is a success in itself. So, I applaud you, all of you, taking that step as you are off to an exciting and rewarding new adventure.” Many of the scholarship recipients revealed that they are first-generation college students, and having the additional support from their credit union gives them high hopes for their future and the future of their communities.
“Thank you so much! I’m so overwhelmed right,” said Crystal Ong, who will be heading to UC Berkley this fall. “I’m appreciative to everyone at Travis and the fact that Travis Credit Union believes in me also helps me believe in myself and my future.”