The Minnesota Credit Union Foundation has announced the winners of their annual scholarship funds. Congrats to our members Alyssa and Kari!

We are proud to announce that our members Alyssa L. of Lakeville, MN and Kari E. of Kenyon, MN each won a $1,000 scholarship! Nearly 1,000 students from credit unions across Minnesota applied for the scholarship during the 2020-2021 school year, and 16 winners were selected based on the student’s school and community involvement, as well as an essay submitted to the Minnesota Credit Union Foundation Scholarship Council. The prompt for this year's essay was:

“Knowing that we have the power today to change the story of tomorrow, how will you prepare for future financial obstacles?”

Below are excerpts from each winning essay:

Alyssa L.

"This past year, I have learned how important it is to plan for unexpected financial obstacles. I have seen people with stable careers lose their jobs and struggle to make ends meet. This spring, my mother experienced a pay cut when her business was affected by the pandemic. Thanks to my parents’ careful budgeting the past few years, we were okay. From this, I have learned the value of saving for my future. By creating an emergency fund, I will be able to meet my financial commitments, even in difficult times. By creating a budget, I know that I can finance my future no matter what obstacles may appear. I will be able to work towards my goals, while ensuring I can uphold my future commitments."

Kari E.

"If we have learned nothing else from living in a pandemic, we have at least learned that life can take a financial turn at any given moment.  The current situation has been a good reminder that in order to be comfortable, feel safe, and rest easy, we must be prepared in the event of a storm... While we cannot anticipate every financial hurdle we will encounter over the years, we can do our best to set ourselves up for success. Saving, budgeting, planning, and living within our means are things that we can do now in order to prepare for tomorrow."

Congratulations from all of us at MEFCU, Alyssa and Kari! See the full list of scholarship recipients.