Foundation Awards 65 Oil and Gas Scholarships

GRANVILLE, Ohio — In the latest round of scholarships from the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) and Foundation, 65 were awarded to qualified students pursuing careers in the natural gas and oil industry.

Of the scholarships awarded, 36 are new and 29 are renewed. Scholarships are worth a minimum of $1,000 annually and can be renewed for up to four years. To date, OOGEEP has awarded close to half a million dollars in scholarships to students from Ohio, or students pursuing higher education in Ohio.

“Ohio’s natural gas and oil producers are committed to seeking out and assisting the next generation of leaders that will help innovate, explore, develop and produce our future energy resources,” said Karen Matusic, OOGEEP Scholarship Committee Chair, and Public and Government Affairs Manager at XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary. “Our scholarship recipients represent some of our state’s best and brightest students. We are excited to be able to play a role in their educational journey.”

Winners this year represented 32 Ohio counties, 27 institutions of higher education and 17 different majors. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen; have a career goal in the crude oil and natural gas industry; must be an Ohio resident or a student attending, or planning to attend, an accredited Ohio college, university, technical or trade school; and must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5.

Students were required to submit an essay describing their personal career goals in the natural gas and oil industry, submit multiple letters of recommendation and meet other academic requirements.

Among this year’s scholarship recipients is Tyler Noe from Galion. Noe studies welding technology at the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.

“As Ohio’s natural gas and oil industry helps fuel our nation’s renewed energy independence, there’s a strong need to have a strong, local workforce,” said Rhonda Reda, OOGEEP Executive Director. “In 2011, our industry employed 14,000 employees in Ohio – and now that number is close to 200,000. With that kind of growth, it’s beyond encouraging to see such a high caliber of scholarship applicants that are excited about getting an education and joining our industry.”

To see a full list of the 2019 scholarship winners, visit OOGEEP.org/teacher-students/scholarships.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.