HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit Union Awards $14,000 in Scholarships to Harford Students

From HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit Union:

25 Years of Helping: Twelve Graduating Harford County Seniors Receive College Scholarships totaling $14,000 from HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit Union as the Scholarship Program celebrates a Quarter-Century

For a quarter of a century, HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit union has focused on education and helping its members, especially the students. And on May 26, 2010, twelve Harford County seniors got to experience first hand how much HAR-CO helps when they each received scholarships totaling $14,000 from HAR-CO Maryland Federal Credit Union to help them as they start their college careers.

“We started this program in 1985 with a single $1,000 scholarship,” explains Stephen Remsnyder, HAR-CO Scholarship Committee Chairman. “Over the years it’s grown so that any accredited Harford County high school can nominate scholars, and we now allocate one scholarship to each high school. This is a very real way for us to give back to our community. The scholarships are only open to credit union members who attend high school in Harford County, so we’re really helping the people who make us thrive succeed themselves.”

HAR-CO is Harford County’s education credit union, and, in keeping with their mission of serving the education community, each year makes available a $1,000 scholarship to one student at every accredited high school in the County. In addition, two special scholarships are presented, one valued at $1,000 in memory of HAR-CO Board member and County teacher Edward V. Goetz to a student who plans to take up environmental studies, and the $3,000 HAR-CO Credit Union Scholarship for a student planning to attend Harford Community College. All of the applicants are members of HAR-CO.

This year was very competitive, with 55 completed applications coming in from all but two of the County’s high schools. “It was a surprise to win,” said Mariah Milton from Edgewood High School. “It felt really good, like a weight lifted off my shoulders.” Milton plans to attend Howard University, where she will major in biology.

Cole Simon of North Harford High School said “this scholarship gave me the opportunity to go out to new places and explore new options.” He’s taking full advantage of that by traveling to Colorado to attend Colorado Christian University in the fall.

This year’s winners and their high schools are:

Aberdeen High School — Austin R. Smith

C. Milton Wright High School — Shannon R. Rafferty

Edgewood High School — Mariah K. Milton

Fallston High School — Zachary R. Tomechko

Harford Christian High School — Elizabeth H. McKnight

Havre de Grace High School — Ashley N. Crowe

John Carroll High School — Brandi N. Loga

Joppatowne High School — Amanda K. Baker

North Harford High School — Cole T. Simon

Patterson Mill High School — Matthew C. Norton

Goetz Scholarship: Brittany N. Dooling, C. Milton Wright

HAR-CO Credit Union Scholarship to Harford Community College: Monica N. Frost, Aberdeen
The winners plan to attend schools around the country, including Wesley, Howard University, Penn State, Alvernia University, Colorado Christian University and the University of Vermont. Their anticipated majors include biology, communications, education, environmental agriculture, and journalism.

For information on scholarship guidelines or credit union membership, visit any of the HAR-CO branches in Aberdeen, Abingdon or Bel Air or online at www.harcocu.org.