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.
“We’re so appreciative of the recognition of all the hard work these kids put in,” says Rikki Rivera, mother of scholarship winner, Kennedy Rivera. “My husband and I were both recently furloughed due to the pandemic – so financially this scholarship has helped us out more than we anticipated when she first applied. This is very helpful to our family.”
The TCU Board of Directors established the scholarship program in 2004 and named it the Mary Keith Duff Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of a long-time board member. To date, TCU has contributed $437,000 to the program and will continue to award $40,000 annually.
“As a credit union, we are founded on the philosophy of ‘people helping people,’ and we stand behind the principles that promote human development and social responsibility,” says Patricia Moreno, chairman of the board for TCU. “Offering these scholarships is just one way we are assisting young members.”
To apply for the scholarship, college-bound high school seniors, who are TCU members in good standing, needed a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) as well as a 500 word personal statement essay, expressing their plans for the future.
“These student’s achievements in school and community signify that they have the dreams and determination to make a difference in the lives of others,” added Barry Nelson, president and CEO of Travis Credit Union. “We are proud to honor them and be part of their plans for the future.”
Headquartered in Vacaville, California, Travis Credit Union is a not-for-profit cooperative financial institution serving those who live, work, worship, or attend school in Alameda, Colusa, Contra Costa, Merced, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, and Yolo Counties. Currently, Travis Credit Union is the 13th largest credit union in California with more than 214,000 members and more than $3.9 billion in assets. As one of the leading financial institutions in Solano, Contra Costa, Napa, Yolo, and Merced Counties, Travis Credit Union’s strength lies in its faithful commitment to its members and the community; its solid, secure history; and its long-standing track record of dedicated service.