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A number of scholarships are available to high school seniors with Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company services at home thanks to the Foundation for Rural Service.

The FRS is the non-profit arm of the National Rural broadband Association. The NTCA is a national membership association with the goal of improving communication services, like broadband, in rural America by advocating for rural providers in Washington, D.C.

Northeast Nebraska Telephone Company is a supporting member of both organizations. NNTC supports the FRS mission by assisting in providing scholarship opportunities to its customers.

To be eligible for a scholarship through the FRS with NNTC as a sponsoring company, the applicant must:

• Be a 2024 graduating high school senior

• Be a U.S. citizen

• Have NNTC phone, TV and/or internet at home

• Have been accepted by a two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school

• Have a grade-point average of at least 2.0

• Express an interest in returning to a rural community after graduation.

The value of the scholarships range from $500 to $7,000, based on a variety of criteria. One application qualifies a student for all available FRS scholarships.

Since 1994, the FRS has awarded nearly $2 million in scholarships to over 700 students.

Past NNTC recipients have been:

2023 – Chiana Tubbs, Stuart Public Schools, of Stuart, $2,500

2022 – Taya Schmaderer, Stuart Public Schools, of Stuart, $2,5002019 – Elsie Magwire, Boyd County Public Schools, of Spencer, $2,500

2016 – Gage Gibney, North Bend Central, of Morse Bluff, $2,500

2016 – Jaden Schafer, Stuart Public Schools, of Stuart, $2,500.

Information and instructions on how to apply can be found on NNTC’s website: http://www.nntc.net under “About Us.”

Applications are due online by Feb. 16. Scholarship recipients will be announced in May.