JSI congratulates the four inaugural winners of the Staurulakis Family Scholarships given out as part of the Foundation for Rural Service's (FRS) 2012 scholarship program. FRS awarded over $95,000 for 35 scholarships to rural youth across the United States, and four students were selected to receive the $5,000 FRS Staurulakis Family Scholarships, which give preference to outstanding applicants with an interest in science, math, medicine, or engineering.
The 2012 Staurulakis Family Scholarships winners are truly an exemplary group of students. Each one has excelled academically, while volunteering in their communities and holding down jobs. The four winners are:
Ceder Cumin - Nominated by Triangle Communications, Montana
Rhett Lanier - Nominated by Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Georgia
Sandra Mendiola - Nominated by Hemingford Cooperative Telephone, Nebraska
Sarah Roberson - Nominated by Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative, Tennessee
(To read their amazing stories, please visit our 50th Anniversary website.)
These scholarships were established as part of JSI's 50th Anniversary celebration. Even though our celebration is for just one year, these scholarships will continue to be awarded by FRS annually. "This scholarship program was a chance to provide a lasting legacy for our parents, John and Chresanthe, who dedicated a majority of their life serving the rural telephone industry," said JSI's Executive Vice President Leo Staurulakis. "We believe that this honors our parents and helps rural students attain higher education with skills that will be valuable to their communities."
FRS received more than 1,400 applications in 2012, and scholarship recipients were selected by an independent team of reviewers from the education field. To be eligible, recipients must be sponsored by a NTCA member system, and must indicate a desire to return to their rural communities once their collegiate studies have been completed.
