City Water, Light and Power (CWLP), in partnership with the Illinois Municipal Utilities Association (IMUA), is reminding high school seniors of a scholarship opportunity for four $1,000 awards to be given this spring. The scholarship seeks to recognize students for their essay writing and understanding of electric and water supplier issues, and to increase awareness of the value municipally-owned utility systems.
Applicants must be high school seniors whose parents or legal guardians are residential customers of CWLP or another IMUA-member utility. Eligible students are asked to submit an application and an essay of 500 words or less addressing their choice of one of two utility-related questions.
"Energy providers are in a constant cycle of addressing any number of economic and regulatory challenges in order to provide services to customers,” said CWLP Chief Utility Engineer Doug Brown. "Building a greater awareness among students of these issues through this scholarship is a good practice to prepare them to seek out solutions for what they may have to face in their own careers.”
Kevin M. Gaden, President & CEO of the IMUA said, "Public power communities offer their customers a number of cost, efficiency, service and other advantages compared to those served by other energy providers. IMUA’s scholarship program is another example of how municipally-owned and operated utility systems can help return value to their communities while at the same time, provide a measure of financial assistance and support to those students who wish to pursue a college education.”
The deadline for submitting applications and essays is Friday, March 8, 2024. A committee of municipal utility officials will select a total of four finalists, each of whom will receive a certificate and a $1,000 scholarship award. Winners will be announced in April.
Application packets and more information is available online, https://www.imea.org/IMUA%20Scholarship%20Program.asp. Applicants may contact DeeDee Bunch at (217) 789-4632 or dbunch@imea.org for more information.