2019 Lane Electric Scholarship Recipients

Every year, Lane Electric Cooperative offers approximately $20,000 in scholarships to members of all ages, from high schoolers to adults, to attend colleges and trade schools.

This includes supporting the Washington Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., for a high school junior. It also includes funding to help cover tuition for the Vocational Outdoor Line Training Academy, Lane Community College or the college of a student’s choice.

This year’s scholarship committee included Lane Electric Directors Hugh Buermann of Row River and Kathy Keable of McKenzie, and five volunteer co-op members: Meredith Clark, Patricia Gripp, Judy Hampton, Scott Mallory and Bruce Vogel. The committee was impressed by the 16 applicants for the seven scholarships offered.

Applications for the 2020 Youth Tour will be available in November, with a deadline in January. Applications for other scholarships will be available in early 2020, with a deadline in April. Check Ruralite and the Lane Electric website later this year for more details.

Kasey Erwin
Kasey Erwin
Scholarship: $5,500 for VOLTA
Age: 18
Residence: Lowell
Education: 2019 graduate of Lowell High School
Goal: To be a journeyman lineman.

I have been in the Lowell community my entire life, attending school from K-12 in the Lowell School District. I have participated in many sports, football and wrestling being my favorites. Through football and wrestling, I have created some great friends and even greater opportunities generated by my dedication and obtained by those who guided me. My parents and coaches are a huge part of my success, instilling a work ethic that I take pride in. I would also like to thank my teachers and my community for helping me gain valuable education and work experiences.

The Lane Electric Scholarship Committee has helped me reach not only a goal, but a dream, and I cannot thank them enough. My dream job is to become a journeyman lineman and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.

Shawna Staff
Shawna Staff
Scholarship: $4,500 for member at large, Lane Community College
Age: 37
Residence: Oakridge
Education: First-year student at Lane Community College
Goal: A career in web development.

My family and I moved to Oakridge from Sacramento, California, in 2003. Oakridge has become our home, the place where the memories of raising our three children live.

I have always been an avid learner and I have spent a great deal of time studying varying topics, including web development. As I have learned HTML and CSS, I have found that I want to learn not just web design, but also software and app development.

This opportunity to continue my education not only opens up a new career path for me, but it gives me the unique opportunity to demonstrate for my children the value of education.

I cannot express how much this scholarship helps me. It covers nearly a year of my tuition, so now I can focus on doing my schoolwork and not worry about how I’m paying for it.

MacKenzie Smith
MacKenzie Smith
Scholarship: $4,500 to Lane Community College for a graduating senior
Age: 18
Residence: Lowell
Education: 2019 graduate of Lowell High School
Goal: To be a veterinary technician.

I was born and raised in the same house in Lowell. Growing up in a loving and healthy household, raised by a respecting and caring Christian family, I developed my passion for animals. As a little girl I dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but as I grew older I found I wanted to become a veterinary
technician.

I have always had a passion for helping animals and tending to their needs. I have volunteered at Greenhill Humane Society, and academically, I have a 4.0 GPA.

One of my favorite quotes is, “I never lose, I either win or I learn.”

I am so eternally grateful to Lane Electric for awarding me this scholarship. It means so much to me to know that there are people out there who want to help me and see my passion fulfilled.

Tayler Forsman
Tayler Forsman
Scholarship: $1,500 for college of your choice
Age: 18
Residence: Creswell
Education: 2019 graduate of Creswell High School
Goal: Run a business that gives back.

I plan to attend Arizona State University this fall to pursue a degree in business management. I was inspired to choose this field by the older brothers of one of my friends who went to school and grew up in the same town as myself. They now own a business worth millions of dollars. It is empowering to witness people who grew up in the same small town as I did and create such success. I’ve seen their idea struggle and now thrive. They also use their thriving company to promote positivity and give back to communities.

I enjoy playing sports, outdoor activities, and hanging out with friends. My favorite season is summer because of the nice weather, sun and heat, which is part of the reason I chose to further my education in Arizona. I also have a great passion for travel and would like to travel a lot in my lifetime and expand my experiences outside of the United States.

Vanessa Wilson
Vanessa Wilson
Scholarship: $1,500 for college of your choice
Age: 17
Residence: Oakridge
Education: 2019 graduate of Oakridge Jr/Sr High School
Goal: To become a midwife.

When I was little, I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field. I didn’t want to just be a nurse. After my niece was born, I decided I wanted to deliver babies and to study midwifery. Linn Benton Community College is my college of choice because they have a great medical program. I am so excited to start my journey to becoming a midwife!

I grew up with an amazing, supportive family. My Grandpa James was the person who I looked up to. He worked for Lane Electric for 30 years. He was the best grandpa a girl could ask for, and I miss him every day. My aunt and uncle, sisters, my mom and dad, have all been so supportive my whole life. I am so fortunate to have them. They have all taught me to be the respectful and hardworking young lady I am today.

Thank you, Lane Electric, for the opportunity to apply for this amazing scholarship, and thank you for selecting me to receive it!

Andrew Dassonville
Andrew Dassonville
Scholarship: $1,500 for college of your choice
Age: 18
Residence: Eugene
Education: 2019 graduate of South Eugene High School
Goal: To become a software developer.

I was introduced to programming in elementary school when my father bought an iPhone and I saw the vast number of apps available. I wanted to be able to build my own.

Since then, I have become an active developer in the tech community, and was a winner of the Google Code-award for my work in open-source software development. My skills have earned me a job as a developer at the Eugene-based tech company, Twenty Ideas.

I am also the software lead on the South Eugene Robotics Team—a team of high school students who compete in a yearly robotics competition—and use the skills they develop along the way to help the local community.

After a summer internship at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California, I plan to attend Oregon State University to study computer science and robotics, and continue the fun I had on SERT by joining the OSU robotics team.

Jaden Palmer
Jaden Palmer
Scholarship: $1,500 for college of your choice
Age: 18
Residence: Veneta
Education: 2019 graduate of Elmira High School
Goal: A career in computer science.

From a young age, I have been greatly interested in the outdoors and technology. My interest in the outdoors led me to join a local Boy Scout troop. A few years later, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

My love of technology started as soon as I entered high school, where I learned HTML, CSS, Python and Swift. Learning these languages led me to go to school to learn more about them. I have chosen to go to Eastern Arizona Community College.

Afterward, I plan on going on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints mission. After my mission, I will pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Brigham Young University. With my knowledge and wisdom that I will acquire over this time period, I hope to inspire others about the fun and creative opportunities computers offer.