Apache County and Navajo County Students Receive SRP Scholarships for STEM-related Majors

Eleven students in Apache and Navajo counties have been selected to receive scholarships from Salt River Project (SRP) as part of the SRP Dependent Scholarship program. The recipients are enrolled in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) university degree programs and their scholarships will be annually renewed for up to five years based on satisfactory academic achievement.

“This is a well-loved program among SRP employee families in the Valley, and we are proud to offer it to students in Apache and Navajo counties,” said Buchanan Davis, Director of Local Government Affairs at SRP and former Show Low resident. “Students who grew up near SRP’s Coronado Generating Station will be better positioned to advance their academic careers and paths to professional opportunities.”

SRP has offered its Dependent Scholarship Program for more than 15 years to dependents of SRP employees. For the last four years the program was extended to non-dependents of employees living in St. Johns and Round Valley, and this year the program was extended to non-dependent students in Show Low, Blue Ridge and Snowflake/Taylor areas. SRP opened the application process to be more inclusive of families who live near its coal-fired Coronado Generating Plant and provide further support as part of SRP’s Coal Communities Transition efforts.

Selected students have strong community service involvement, positive work history, high cumulative grade-point averages and other related academic and community accomplishments. Recipients for this year’s scholarship awards include:

• Kail Clark, of Show Low, studying Medicine at the University of Arizona   
• Reid Granillo, of Pinetop, studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona
• Alexandria Nockideneh, of St. Johns, studying Chemistry at Northern Arizona University
• Shea Lynn Paredes, of Show Low, studying Health Sciences at Arizona State University
• Kaden Smith, of St. Johns, studying Engineering at Eastern Arizona College
• Jarom Stradling, of St. Johns, studying Electrical Engineering at Arizona State University
• Rachel Strum, of Show Low, studying Cellular & Molecular Biology at the University of Arizona
• Caralea Vest, of Pinetop, studying the Kinesiology at the University of Kentucky
• Joseph Wood, of St. Johns, studying Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University – Idaho
• Chloe Yorksmith, of Pinetop, studying Health Sciences at Northern Arizona University
• Clare Yorksmith, of Pinetop, studying Biology at Grand Canyon University

The awarded scholarships provide students up to $3,000 a year in financial aid beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Latest successes of the Coal Communities Transition program include a Utilities' Grant Program which is jointly offered by all three large Arizona utilities. This program recently awarded the City of Show Low, City of St. Johns, St. Johns Unified School District and Grow Arizona each with $25,000 towards their missions and developing new economic strategies for a more sustainable future.

SRP is also conducting several studies aimed at identifying possible low-carbon replacement technologies at Coronado Generating Station which is scheduled to close no later than 2032.