On Monday, Nov. 15 local leaders and administrators from Utah State University Eastern gathered in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center for a special presentation. The occasion? A donation from the Green River Energy Center and its 11 partners totaling $375,000. This investment establishes two scholarships – the Local First Scholarship and the Energy First Scholarship.
Opening the presentation was Maile Resta, a communications associate at rPlus Energies. “It’s my honor to welcome you to today’s announcement of the $375,000 scholarship fund raised through the Green River Energy Center; the 800 megawatt combined solar plus battery project in Emery County that’s under construction right now,” she continued,” It was here in 2022 that we collaborated on our very first Local First Scholarship. USU Eastern helped us create the blueprint for what now has become a transformative initiative, spanning four colleges and universities across two states and raising over $690,000 for local students.”
Following her remarks, Maile Resta passed the mic to her father, Luigi Resta, president and CEO of rPlus. “We created these scholarships to invest in local talent. The Local First Scholarship supports community commitment, while the Energy First Scholarship ensures a skilled workforce for the growing energy sector.”
USUE student Cort Probst provided attendees with the student perspective of this donation,” I’ve been a student here at Eastern for a couple of years now. And, I just want to say thank you to all the donors for this generous scholarship. $375,000 is a lot of money and will change a lot of lives … you hear kind of the same things over and over again. That they’re able to focus more on their studies, you don’t have to worry about school payments or anything like that but that you hear that because it’s true.”
Trevor Rowley, business manager for TSJ Construction based in Cleveland, Utah spoke highly of the donation saying,” I look at myself how I would have benefited from this. I would have been one of these kids that came to this school and I was a part of the welding program when I was here at this school. So that’s both the local first and the energy first scholarships.” He continued,” We’re grateful to be able to give back to the community and help benefit people.”
USU Senior Vice President of Statewide Enterprise, Ken White in a prepared statement shared, “The generous commitment from Green River Energy Center and its partners exemplifies this belief by directly investing in the future of Emery and Carbon County students. These scholarships will not only help individuals achieve their academic and career aspirations but also strengthen the local workforce and support the long-term economic vitality of the region.”
Both scholarships are awarded in $5,000 increments per student, per year. To qualify for the Local First Scholarship, students must be residents of Carbon or Emery Counties. Applicants must also demonstrate intentions to stay local through a short essay. “In 250-300 words, using strong personal experiences or examples and writing that is clear and easy to read, please outline the education and skills crucial for prosperity within Emery or Carbon County, Utah, over the upcoming 5-10 years. Detail how the attainment of your educational goals will contribute to this Achievement.”
For the Energy First Scholarship, the requirements are to be a resident of Carbon or Emery counties and have a focus on energy-related fields including welding, environmental study and diesel mechanics.
Applications for the Spring 2025 semester will open on Dec. 1 through scholarships.usu.edu. To qualify, students must be admitted to Utah State University Eastern. Scholarships of up to $5,000 are available, and students may reapply each year.
Ending the presentation, Chief Campus Administrator Doug Miller was presented the check for $375,000.