First Financial Federal Credit Union presents scholarships to 23 BCPS seniors: Recipients honored at last Thursday’s annual meeting

TOWSON, MD— First Financial Federal Credit Union honored its 2013 scholarship recipients last Thursday during its annual meeting at Crowne Plaza in Timonium. Among the recipients are 23 Baltimore County Public Schools seniors. First Financial has awarded scholarships, of $3,000 each, to the following BCPS students:

• Sarah Anderson, Catonsville High School
• Lindsay Yerrid , RICA Catonsville Educational Center
• Kathryn Ariyibi, Chesapeake High School
• Yilin Feng, Dulaney High School
• James Gonzales, Dundalk High School
• Abigail Katilas, Eastern Technical High School
• Scott Luthy, Franklin High School
• Bo Jessica Hundley, George Washington Carver Center for Arts & Technology
• Benjamin Vantran, Hereford High School
• Kelly Berkemeier, Kenwood High School
• Melissa Miller, Lansdowne High School
• Monique Wynder, Loch Raven High School
• Jeremy Sams, Overlea High School
• Keith Price, Owings Mills High School
• Brittany Davis, Parkville High School
• Chelsea Yarworth, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts
• Zachariah Dunkerton, Perry Hall High School
• Jennifer Piekarz, Pikesville High School
• Aaron White, Randallstown High School
• Thomas Lehner, Sparrows Point High School
• John Mathena, Towson High School
• Jacob Badin, Western School of Technology
• Shelby McNeill, Woodlawn High School

To qualify, students were required to be First Financial members, have a minimum unweighted grade point average of 2.5, be involved in school and community activities, and submit an essay, an academic reference letter, and a character reference letter. First Financial has offered scholarships to graduating high school seniors since 1989. In 2010, First Financial modified its scholarship program to make available one $3,000 scholarship to each high school within its service area, including Baltimore and Carroll counties. Last evening, in addition to the 23 scholarships presented to BCPS students, First Financial awarded another 26 scholarships to students from other public and private schools for a total of $147,000 in awards. For the first time in the history of the program, First Financial awarded a scholarship to a graduating senior from a high school for alternative studies; Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies. Since the beginning of the program, the credit union has awarded more than $900,000 in scholarships. In addition to supporting students through scholarships, First Financial offers a number of programs to support financial literacy and fiscal responsibility among students. Central to these efforts are First Financial’s student-run credit union branches located in schools. The branches are operated by student interns and a faculty advisor. They are designed to serve the financial needs of the schools’ staff and students and provide real-life experience for students in the schools’ business and marketing classes. Services at student-run branches include account opening, deposits, limited cash withdrawals, and information about other FFFCU services. Four First Financial branches are located in BCPS schools:

• Owl Branch at Dundalk High School (opened October 2006)
• Viking Branch at Lansdowne High School (opened October 2007)
• Maverick Branch at Eastern Technical High School (opened October 2009)
• Bayhawk Branch at Chesapeake High School (opened October 2010)