2023 Lane Electric Scholarship Winners
By Craig Reed
Lane Electric Cooperative has again recognized students in its service territory for their past work and their future goals. Five students— Kirsten Deedon, Garett Foglio, Meghan Hawley, Trapper Roat and Kalee Walter—were awarded Lane Electric scholarship certificates at a recent co-op meeting. The scholarships help with their college and trade school tuition and fees.
Read on to learn more about these outstanding students.
Meghan Hawley
Recipient of $4,500 scholarship to attend Lane Community College.
Meghan, a 2023 graduate of Cottage Grove High School, will take prerequisite classes at Lane Community College (LCC) beginning this fall with a goal to teach elementary school.
After attending LCC, she plans to attend the University of Oregon and earn a degree in elementary education.
“I’m extremely honored to have been chosen for this scholarship,” Meghan says. “I’m super thankful.”
“I’ve put in a lot of hard work throughout high school,” she adds. “I’ve stayed involved so I can have different opportunities like this. I think I’m ready to go on.”
Meghan was a member of her high school’s honor roll for each of her four years. She was the social media manager for her leadership classes. She was one of the hosts for a schoolwide news show that was produced by her electronic media class.
In sports, Meghan participated in four years of soccer, and four years of track and field, competing as a runner and jumper.
Her volunteer activities included helping organize the Lion Pride Pageant, a fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network, and helping at the homeless food and services shelter in Cottage Grove.
Kalee Walter
Recipient of $3,000 scholarship to college of choice.
Kalee is undecided on a major, but she’ll use her scholarship to attend Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) in Coos Bay this fall.
Kalee is a 2023 graduate of Cottage Grove High School. “I’m grateful for the scholarship,” she says.
She is interested in cybersecurity and ocean science.
During her high school years, she spent time in the water as a member of a water polo team and swim team. She competed in all the swimming strokes, advancing to district and state meets each year. She was a member of the 400 freestyle relay team that placed sixth at state. She plans to continue swimming as a member of the SWOCC team.
She also has a musical interest, playing the trombone in the Cottage Grove jazz band.
Garett Foglio
Recipient of $5,500 scholarship to VOLTA.
A one-day ride-along with a lineworker was all the convincing Garett needed to pursue a lineworker career.
Last spring, Garett experienced working outside, setting power poles and hanging wires during the ride-along.
“I got to help with most of that work, and now I’m looking at it long term,” he says.
Garett graduated from Pleasant Hill High School in June and now awaits the start of a Vocational Outside Line Training Academy course, a program licensed through the Oregon Department of Education to prepare students for entrylevel work as a lineworker.
Garett will attend the 400-hour, 10-week program at Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center in Warrenton this fall.
In anticipation of driving big rigs in his career, Garett attended a monthlong truck driving school this summer to earn his commercial driver’s license. He also has his tractor safety certification card, having operated big equipment while working on farms and ranches in the Pleasant Hill, Dexter and Creswell areas.
During his four years at Pleasant Hill High, Garett played football and baseball and was a member of FFA. His FFA projects included showing pigs and helping build sheds for the school.
“I feel like I’m ready,” he says. “I really appreciate the scholarship. I won’t have to go into debt. Thank you very much.”
Trapper Roat
Recipient of $5,500 scholarship to VOLTA.
Trapper also experienced and enjoyed a ride-along with a lineworker earlier this year. That day helped him decide to pursue a lineworker career.
lineworker career. “I was able to help take out a pole and to pull an underground line,” he says. “It’s a cool career path. I’m not much for office work.”
Trapper will use his scholarship to attend VOLTA this fall in Warrenton. “It’s just amazing I was able to get this scholarship,” he says. “I would like to say thank you.”
Trapper graduated from Lowell High School in June. In addition to classes there, he took welding and diesel technology classes at Lane Community College and classes in construction, pipe fitting and plumbing, residential electric and sheet metal through Lane Education Service District.
Trapper has hands-on work experience, having worked part-time for a land and cattle business in the Oakridge area for the past three years. He’s also helped remodel a couple of houses.
He says those school and work experiences have prepared him as he looks forward to beginning a career in the electrical industry.
Kirsten Deedon
Recipient of $3,000 scholarship to college of choice.
A recent graduate of Churchill High School, Kirsten is attending Linfield University in McMinnville this fall. Her goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Linfield Good Samaritan School of Nursing in Portland. “I’ve always enjoyed helping people,” Kirsten says.
She follows in the footsteps of family. Her father and two brothers are firefighters, and her mother is a retired nurse.
“I’m thinking about being a traveling nurse and getting as much experience as I can,” Kirsten says. “It’ll be fun to help people all over the world.”
Kirsten also graduated from Eugene International High School. She took the international curriculum in French during first through eighth grades and then a combination of English and Spanish during her four high school years.
“The international school taught me so much about other countries and their problems,” she says.
Kirsten was a member of the Churchill softball team for four years, and she played volleyball her last two years.
Outside school, she was a 13-year 4-H member, showing sheep and cattle and being involved in home economic projects.
“Lane Electric supported me through my 4-H projects, it supported my brothers and now is supporting me for college,” Kirsten says. “It’s helping me strive beyond high school. Getting this award means so much to me and thank you to Lane Electric for that.”
