Oklahoma Rural Rehabilitation Corporation Distributes Scholarships For The 2023-2024 School Year

Oklahoma Rural Rehabilitation Corporation (ORRC), located in Stillwater, has completed processing scholarships to Oklahoma farm and rural students who graduated from high school this spring. Of the 214 applications received, 147scholarships totaling $83,700.00 were approved to assist students entering college or a technical school in Oklahoma. Since 1968 ORRC began has helped over 11,000 students with a cumulative total of over 4 million dollars.

Oklahoma Rural Rehabilitation Corporation was originally established by the federal government in 1934, to assist farmers and rural communities. In 1964 all assets were released by the federal government and the agency became a stand alone, non-profit corporation, governed by the board. The corporation has been self-sustaining since then by investing in loans to assist farmers and ranchers. Profits from these loans have been used for the scholarship program, a community development grant program, grants to the Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program and other programs to assist farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

The ORRC is assisted with its scholarship program by the USDA Farm Service Agency and USDA Rural Development Agency, as well as various participating banks. We at ORRC would like to extend sincere thanks to these agencies for their participation in organizing the collection of applications and distribution of scholarship funds.

This year we had eight local recipients: Denna Bussinger, Zanden Dyke, Macie Edgmon, Dylan Simon, Amber Spence and Emma Youngblood of Walters High School; Bryan Chandler of Tipton High School; and Diane Ashon of Temple High School.

Zanden Dyke, Macie Edgmon, Dylan Simon, Amber Spence, Bryan Chandler and Diane Ashon all received a scholarship in the amount of $600. and Emma Youngblood received a scholarship in the amount of $500.

Bryan Chandler plans to attend Western Oklahoma State College in Altus and pursue a degree in Business Management; Amber Spence plans to attend University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha and pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education; Dylan Simon plans to attend Mid-America Christian University in Norman and pursue a degree in Business Administration/Agriculture; Macie Edgmon plans to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and pursue a degree in Animal Science; Zanden Dyke plans to attend University of Oklahoma in Norman and pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering; Diane Ashon plans to attend University of Oklahoma and pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering; Denna Bussinger plans to attend East Central University in Ada and pursue a degree in Biology; and Emma Youngblood plans to attend Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and pursue a degree in Agricultural Leadership. All of these extraordinary students will begin their college careers in the fall.

We would like to say congratulations to Denna, Zanden, Macie, Dylan, Amber, Emma, Bryan and Diane, on furthering their education.