Unitus Awards $17,500 in 2022 Scholarships to 7 Outstanding Students

(5 Minute Read) – In early August, Unitus Community Credit Union announced their 2022 Unitus Scholarship recipients. These outstanding student members, which are announced every summer prior to the academic year, are awarded $2,500 scholarships to assist with the cost of higher education. The Unitus Scholarship Program, which was launched in 2004 and has awarded over 170 student scholarships and $235,000 in college funds, is eligible to student members and child dependents/spouses/significant others of Unitus employees.

Each year, we’ve strived to find new ways to support our student members while creating the biggest impact possible. In recent years, this has included expanding our program award amount to $17,500 to support child dependents of Unitus employees. In 2023, we will add another scholarship to our program as well as increase the Unitus Scholarship amount from $2,500 to $3,000 to assist with the rising cost of tuition.

This year, we also had the pleasure of asking our 2022 recipients about some of their recent accomplishments and career goals. Check out their answers below, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@unitusccu) to catch more photos of this year’s scholarship recipients and stay up to date on Unitus’ programs and community involvement!

Unitus Scholarship applicants are scored in the areas of academic achievement, community involvement, quality of scholarship materials, and commitment to pursuing higher education.

Congratulations to this year’s Unitus Scholarship recipients for the 2022 – 2023 school year:

Kyla H. | Oregon City, OR: Kyla will be attending Oregon State University in the fall and will be majoring in Mechanical Engineering.  

Kyla is proud of being awarded Valedictorian of her senior class as well as playing varsity volleyball and lacrosse, holding a spot in the National Honors Society, and completing over 70 hours of community service at local nonprofit Clackamas Service Center. She’s excited to achieve her degree in Mechanical Engineering so she can become a test engineer for mechanical functions to make sure that they work properly.  

Chloe V. | Clackamas, OR: Chloe will be attending University of Portland in the fall and will be majoring in Nursing/Psychology.  

Chloe is proud of starting her first job during her senior year while maintaining her membership in Scrub Club and Player Piano as well as receiving awards for honors roll, Spanish Honor’s society, and 2nd team all-league for varsity volleyball, ranking in the top 10 by OSAA. She’s excited to provide aid to countries and communities in need after she achieves her degree in Nursing and Psychology.  

Tess H. | Portland, OR: Tess will be attending Oregon State University in the fall and will be majoring in Earth Science.   

Tess is proud of winning an AP Scholar Award for her score on the AP Biology test as well as her participation in her high school’s theatre program as the stage manager and director of a one-act, her role mentoring for her school’s “Teaching, Integrating, and Exploring Science” program, and her time spent volunteering as a student leader to help increase outdoor literacy among sixth graders. Tess is excited to work toward a career as a professor teaching about oceanography and our planet after she completes her degree. 

Lucy R. | Portland, OR: Lucy currently attends Baylor University and is majoring in Computer Science.  

Lucy is proud of landing a job with her college’s School of Engineering and Computer Science Undergraduate Programs Office due to her academic and departmental accomplishments as well as her involvement and achievements in multiple computer science organizations at her university, such as the Baylor Women in Computer Science Club and their first place win at the Waco 2022 Hackathon in the novice bracket. Lucy is excited to use her Computer Science degree to work on sustainable solutions in Software Engineering.   

Dee Anna B. | Portland, OR: Dee Anna currently attends Wheaton College and is majoring in Psychology.   

Dee Anna is proud of her success acting as the Lead Event Coordinator for her college’s largest event, the 2022 President’s Ball, which brought together over 1,500 students after two years without it, as well as her time spent volunteering as a tutor and for quarantine meal delivery, serving as a student ambassador, and role as Vice President of her college’s chapter of Psi Chi International Psychology Honors Society. Dee Anna is excited to complete her education and begin a nonprofit providing vocational coaching and services.  

Scott S. | Portland, OR: Scott will be attending McKenna College in the fall and is majoring in Government and History. 

Scott is proud of his work with the Beaverton School District to update district social studies standards and practices for all age groups—a two year process that added a more diverse and inclusive history and civics curriculum—as well as serving as his high school’s Student Body President, on the City of Beaverton’s Youth Advisory Board and Vision Advisory Committee, and organizing a TEDx event at his school. Scott is excited to enter public policy or political consulting after obtaining his degree with the goal of running for an elected office someday.  

Presley G. | Portland, OR: Presley will be attending Chapman University in the fall and is majoring in Psychology.   

Presley is proud of placing 3^rd at Nationals in April 2022 for Artistic/Synchronized Swimming as part of her high school’s swim team as well as being a competitive synchronized swimmer for nine years, her membership with her high school’s Jewish Student Union, and work as a Volunteer Production Assistant for an independent film produced in Portland in 2021. Presley is excited to explore different career paths with the goal of supporting social justice and sustainable living through her degree.  

Visit our Scholarships page for more information about the Unitus Scholarship Program. Scholarships reopen in March 2023.