HAR-CO Federal Credit Union Awards $15,000 in scholarships to class of 2012

HAR-CO Federal Credit Union Awards $15,000 in Scholarships to Members of the 2012 Harford County Graduating Class

Thirteen graduating high school seniors in Harford County will find it a little easier to afford the costs of college thanks to HAR-CO Federal Credit Union. The students will share $15,000 in scholarships awarded by the HAR-CO to members of the 2012 graduating class.

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 unrestricted 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  environmental studies, and a $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.

“We are an education credit union made up of students and their family members and this is our way of giving back to our community,” explains Jim Famous, Chairman of the HAR-CO Board of Directors. “We’ve been awarding scholarships since 1985 and it’s always a joy to see the students and what they represent. This is something we enjoy doing each year and we’re excited to continue it into the future.”

“It’s unbelievable what these kids can and do accomplish,” said Elizabeth Coakley, a member of the HAR-CO Scholarship Committee. “They’re all talented in so many ways. The submissions were very well written; I’m very much impressed with our youth.”

Diane Moore, Public Relations Specialist for HAR-CO, agrees: “This is by no means an easy or quick process. I’ve been involved for almost 24 years and in that time we’ve given out 286 scholarships. That’s a lot of investment in the community, which we are very proud of.”

HAR-CO Federal Credit Union awarded scholarships to all of these students:

Aberdeen High School - Matthew H. Wang

Bel Air High School - Brianna M. Hunt

C. Milton Wright High School - Casey A. Diven

John Carroll High School - Emily T. Jefferson

Edgewood High School - Kody L. Prince

Fallston High School - Hunter M. Nicolette

Harford Christian School - Brianna Coleman

Havre de Grace High School - Anthony B. Cofrancesco

Jopptowne High School - Bradley E. Kujawa

North Harford High School - Ryan B. Stinar

Patterson Mill High School - Chad W. Hall

The Edward V. Goetz Memorial Environmental Scholarship - Christopher M. Panzeri

HAR-CO Credit Union Scholarship to Harford Community College - Caitlin G. Stevens

Christopher Panzeri, winner of the Goetz Scholarship, plans to study energy engineering at Penn State. He became interested in environmental studies thanks to an advanced placement class. He won his scholarship from a very competitive group. “It was a hard choice this year,” said Artie Goetz, who established the scholarship ten years ago to honor her husband. “We’re getting better and better applicants each year – they’re involved in all sorts of environmental activities.”

The scholarships make a real difference to the students and their families. In fact, this year saw a legacy of sorts – Caitlin Stevens, winner of the HCC Scholarship, was the second person in her family to receive the honor. Her sister Amanda Stevens received the HCC scholarship six years ago; she is now a nurse at GBMC. “I am just very grateful for this,” says Caitlin Stevens. She plans to study biology and to be a physical therapist, an interest she developed from her sports activities.

In addition to the scholarships, each student received a $25 HAR-CO VISA ® Gift Card. For information on scholarship guidelines or credit union membership, visit any of the HAR-CO locations in Aberdeen, Abingdon, Bel Air or online at www.harcocu.org.

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2012 HAR-CO Scholarship Winners photo caption:

Standing, Left to Right:

Elizabeth Coakley, Hunter M. Nicolette, Matthew H. Wang, Christopher M. Panzeri, Bradley E. Kujawa, Anthony B. Cofrancesco, Ryan B. Stinar, Diane Moore

Seated, Left to Right:

Caitlin G. Stevens, Brianna Coleman, Casey A. Diven, Brianna M. Hunt, Kody L. Prince, Emily T. Jefferson

Not present - Chad W. Hall