Lizeth GeorgeThe League of Southeastern Credit Unions & Affiliates (LSCU & Affiliates) and the Southeastern Credit Union Foundation (SECUF) are excited to announce that two additional students have been awarded scholarships to attend college and expand their financial education through the Community Spark program. The program is in its second year and strives to ignite collaboration among credit unions in Alabama and Georgia by providing financial assistance to underserved and first-generation college students.
This year, Anna La and Ayman Suleman will be attending universities in Alabama and Georgia, respectively, and were each awarded $10,000 scholarships that will renew annually, amounting to a total of $40,000 per student.
“This scholarship program is an excellent example of collaboration among credit unions for the benefit of our communities, reflecting the credit union movement’s ‘people helping people’ philosophy,” said Bobbi Grady, Director of SECUF. “These two bright, young scholarship recipients have shown they are committed and dedicated to advancing their financial education, thus instilling crucial life skills that will help them in their future careers.”
In addition to providing funding for college, the Community Spark initiative also establishes summer internships for scholarship recipients to expand their financial education and provide opportunities to learn and develop in the credit union movement. The program integrates students and credit unions to enhance financial education for the students, their families, and their communities.
“Community Spark aims to invest in the next generation by promoting financial education and equipping students with the resources needed to be financially successful post-college,” said Samantha Beeler, President of LSCU. “The program also addresses development issues within each state by partnering with local credit unions to launch programs that transform the lives of students seeking stable careers.”
La and Suleman expressed excitement to be new, incoming leaders of the credit union movement and are thrilled to be able to further their educational journey. They will keep the League and the Foundation updated on their success as they continue their college journey.
