Financial institution founded in Clark County continues to give back to community

A financial institution founded in Clark County has awarded $20,000 in scholarships to five students from Southwest Washington and Oregon.

Reid Whitmore, a graduate of Seton Catholic, Nora VanRees, a graduate of Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, as well as college students Jaycie LaBle, Sarah Allen, and Lyndsey Roberts all were awarded $4,000 from iQ Credit Union.

“iQ Credit Union is driven by a strong belief in the power of education and the transformative impact it can have,” said Eric Petracca, president and CEO of iQ Credit Union. “By supporting students’ educational dreams, we are investing in the future workforce and fostering economic growth.”

The scholarship program at iQ Credit Union has been in place for 30 years. It started with $500 per student. In the decades-long program, iQ Credit Union has awarded more than $200,000 to local students.

In three of the scholarships, students are selected using metrics that take into consideration their GPA, community service, and overall accomplishments. There are also two Committees Choice scholarships, where the committee takes a more holistic approach to the selection process. These scholarships take into account the applicants’ backgrounds because they may not have the opportunity to commit to community service due to caring for loved ones or may have to work to help support their families. 

In addition to its commitment to local high school and college students, iQ is dedicated to supporting local businesses, nonprofits, teachers and schools. iQ awards “Read with Me” and literacy grants to area educators to purchase books and fund school supplies, field trips, and other reading-related programs. To date, more than 75,000 books have been distributed to children in the local area through this program. 

Whitmore is expected to attend New York University to study journalism.

VanRees is expected to attend the University of Washington to study political science. VanRees, it should also be noted, also earned a $20,000 scholarship from Coca-Cola. She is one of the 150 national Coca-Cola Scholars. 

LeBle attends Portland State University and is studying speech and hearing sciences.

Allen attends Clark College and is studying network technologies. 

Roberts attends Washington State University Vancouver and studies digital technology and culture.