When social distancing measures went into effect this spring, high schools across the metro reluctantly canceled graduation and award ceremonies, disappointing students looking forward to celebrating their high school accomplishments. The cancelation of the award ceremonies forced Oklahoma City Community Foundation scholarship committees to get creative when delivering the good news to Community Foundation scholarship recipients, paving the way for some elaborate – and unexpected – surprises for hardworking students!
Gabby Pinto-Ordonez was shocked when the team behind the OGE Positive Energy Scholarship rolled up to deliver her $60,000 scholarship honking two large orange trucks decorated with signs and banners congratulating the Edmond Memorial High School senior.
“I don’t have words for it,” explained Gabby. “There are no words to express how happy I am with the opportunity I have here.”
“We could not be prouder of the role we play in OG&E’s scholarship program,” said Oklahoma City Community Foundation President Nancy Anthony. “Support for youth education in our communities is at the core of both of our organizations’ values.”
Bank of Oklahoma – Oklahoma City’s chief executive officer, John Higginbotham, also made sure the students receiving the 2020 Bank of Oklahoma Achieving New Goals Scholarship were recognized, calling each recipient on FaceTime to congratulate them on their accomplishment.
Julissa Ponce was one of those students. “I felt an immense amount of gratitude and was extremely delighted to know that there are organizations who continue to nurture Oklahoma’s education and inspire first-generation students like myself,” said Julia. Julia and Metehan Sancaktutar each received the $5,000 Bank of Oklahoma Achieving New Goals Scholarship to further their education.
The OGE Positive Energy Scholarship and the Bank of Oklahoma Achieving New Goals Scholarship are just two of more than 200 scholarship opportunities available at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. The Community Foundation helps generous donors use a variety of gifts to easily establish scholarship funds that award $2.5 million to around 800 students each year.
If you’d like more information on how you can establish your own unique scholarship to help deserving students in our community, contact Joe Carter at (405) 606-2914 today!