STRATA to Provide Opportunities for High School Students

Uintah Basin high school students can now apply for STRATA’s scholarships and youth programs. Graduating seniors, whose parents are members of the cooperative, can apply for a variety of scholarships, which include seven $2,500 scholarships and three renewable scholarships for up to $10,000 each. There are also scholarship opportunities available for nontraditional students wishing to pursue higher education at local institutions in the Uintah Basin.

In addition to providing nearly $50,000 in scholarships, STRATA will also offer leadership and educational opportunities for high school students who are dependents of STRATA members in good standing. This spring, four high school students, ages 16-17, will be selected to attend the Foundation for Rural (FRS) Youth Tour in Washington, D.C.; and a select group of high school juniors will be given an opportunity to attend the annual weeklong UREA Youth Leadership Challenge at Snow College.

FRS Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.

The FRS Youth Tour is an all-expense-paid educational trip for high school students to Washington, D.C., May 30-June 3, 2015. The tour brings together over 100 high school students from across rural America together for an educational and exciting experience as they tour the nation’s capital. While there, students get to explore some of the most historical sites in the nation, while learning about rural telecommunications by attending meetings with industry leaders and members of congress. 

Union High School Senior Hanna Horrocks attended the 2014 FRS Youth Tour and said that she enjoyed her experience in Washington, D.C. “I was able to meet other kids from across the United States and to see all of the sites I’d never seen before, only in textbooks, and I learned what the FCC is doing for us,” Horrocks said. “This opportunity meant a lot to me just being able to go to a place that I may have never been able to go to before.”

To be eligible to apply for the FRS Youth Tour, students must be age 16 or 17 at the time of the tour.

UREA Youth Leadership Challenge at Snow College

A group of high school juniors will also be sponsored to attend the annual UREA Youth Leadership Challenge, July 13-17, 2015, on the campus of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. UREA Challenge week is full of opportunities to develop leadership skills, build self-esteem, and make new friends from other schools, while learning about how a cooperative, like STRATA, functions.

Barbara Gillespie, of Roosevelt, attended UREA in 2012 and said that the leadership conference had made a positive impact on her life. “UREA has influenced my life because when I came home, I knew that I could be an initiator,” Gillespie said. “If there’s a problem at home, a problem at school, or if there’s a problem in the community, I can step up and start making a change. I can be the initiator.”

Applications for scholarships and youth programs can be found at any STRATA Networks location in Roosevelt or Vernal, online at www.stratanetworks.com/youthopportunities or at local high school counseling offices, and must be submitted to STRATA’s main office no later than March 5, 2015. 

For more information, please contact Tyler Rasmussen at 622-5007, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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