Educational Opportunities

As your Touch­stone Ener­gy Coop­er­a­tive, York Elec­tric firm­ly believes our edu­ca­tion­al efforts can have a far-reach­ing effect not only for the indi­vid­u­als we help but for the com­mu­ni­ty at large. We believe edu­ca­tion­al out­reach is one of the most impor­tant things we can offer.

Every year, YEC awards five $3,000 Touch­stone Ener­gy Schol­ar­ships to grad­u­at­ing seniors at area high schools. Appli­cants must be mem­bers of YEC. YEC also awards one $3,000 Tech­ni­cal Advan­tage Schol­ar­ship to a local grad­u­at­ing senior attend­ing a tech­ni­cal col­lege in the fall.

Addi­tion­al­ly, we spon­sor high school stu­dents to attend the infor­ma­tive Wash­ing­ton Youth Tour and the Coop­er­a­tive Youth Sum­mit in Colum­bia to help stu­dents reach their edu­ca­tion­al goals.

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Scholarships for High School Seniors

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$3,000 Touchstone Energy Scholarship

    • 5 Schol­ar­ships
    • Must be a mem­ber of YEC
    • Must be a high school senior to apply
    • Write an essay on how busi­ness­es can bet­ter con­nect with younger gen­er­a­tions
    • The $3,000 check will be made payable to the col­lege the recip­i­ent will be attend­ing
    • 2027 appli­ca­tion time­frame com­ing soon.
    • Appli­ca­tions for schol­ar­ships are accept­ed begin­ning in Octo­ber and end with a March dead­line. Check back each year for exact dates.

York Elec­tric’s ties to the com­mu­ni­ty run deep, which is why we are always look­ing for new ways to improve the qual­i­ty of life in our area. This includes new, inno­v­a­tive ways to con­nect with our mem­bers. Show us your cre­ativ­i­ty and inno­va­tion by writ­ing an essay describ­ing how busi­ness­es can bet­ter con­nect to our younger mem­bers. Whether is it through an online plat­form or by giv­ing back, we want to hear what you think. Appli­cants must have aver­age to above-aver­age grades and sub­mit an essay.

The appli­ca­tion dead­line for 2026 was Mon­day, March 16th, 2026

Appli­ca­tion Peri­od Closed

2026 Touchstone Energy Scholarship Recipients

The Touch­stone Ener­gy Schol­ar­ship is award­ed to five high school seniors who are mem­bers of York Elec­tric Coop­er­a­tive and plan­ning to attend a four-year col­lege or uni­ver­si­ty. For 2026, the stu­dents receiv­ing the schol­ar­ship are Dar­nell Drum­mond, Juan Gomez, Mor­gan Greer, Carter Miller, and Jacob Wilmoth.

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Darnell Drummond

Cataw­ba Ridge High School
Drum­mond will attend High Point Uni­ver­si­ty to study Finance.
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Juan Gomez

Cataw­ba Ridge High School
Gomez will attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of South Car­oli­na, Lan­cast­er, to study Business/Finance
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Morgan Greer

Legion Col­le­giate Acad­e­my
Greer will attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of South Car­oli­na, Beau­fort, to study Nurs­ing.
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Carter Miller

York Prepara­to­ry Acad­e­my
Miller will attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of South Car­oli­na to study Elec­tri­cal Engi­neer­ing.
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Jacob Wilmoth

Clover High School
Wilmoth will attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of South Car­oli­na (through York Tech­ni­cal Col­lege Trans­fer Pro­gram) to study Phys­i­cal Ther­a­py Ser­vices.

Pho­tos by Erin Nichols

2026 Technical Advantage Scholarship Recipient

The Tech­ni­cal Advan­tage Schol­ar­ship is award­ed to one high school senior purs­ing a skilled trade by attend­ing a tech­ni­cal col­lege after grad­u­a­tion. For 2026, Makay­la Baber (name in red below) received the Tech­ni­cal Advan­tage Schol­ar­ship.

If you are a grad­u­at­ing senior inter­est­ed in pur­su­ing a cer­tifi­cate or degree from York Tech­ni­cal Col­lege, this schol­ar­ship is for you!

    • One $3,000 Tech­ni­cal Advan­tage Schol­ar­ship
    • Must be a high school senior to apply
    • Must attend a tech­ni­cal col­lege to study a trade
    • You do not have to be a YEC mem­ber.
    • 2027 appli­ca­tion time­frame com­ing soon.
    • Appli­ca­tions for schol­ar­ships are accept­ed begin­ning in Octo­ber and end with a March dead­line. Check back each year for exact dates.

Four-year uni­ver­si­ties aren’t for every­one and here at YEC, we want to high­light the vast oppor­tu­ni­ties for suc­cess right in your back­yard. Stu­dents who are inter­est­ed in learn­ing a trade and who will be attend­ing York Tech­ni­cal Col­lege are eli­gi­ble to apply for our Tech­ni­cal Advan­tage $3,000 Schol­ar­ship.

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Makayla Baber

North­west­ern High School
Baber will attend York Tech­ni­cal Col­lege to study Con­struc­tion Man­age­ment.
Appli­ca­tion Peri­od Closed

York Electric Cooperative’s School-to-Work Scholarship

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Za’niyah Chisholm

York Com­pre­hen­sive High School
Za’niyah par­tic­i­pat­ed in the Health Sci­ence Pro­gram through Floyd D. John­son Tech­nol­o­gy Center’s School-to-Work pro­gram and will attend the Uni­ver­si­ty of South Car­oli­na.

York Elec­tric awards an out­stand­ing senior who has par­tic­i­pat­ed in the Floyd D. John­son Tech­nol­o­gy Center’s School-to-Work pro­gram a $500 schol­ar­ship. The stu­dent must meet the fol­low­ing cri­te­ria to qual­i­fy:

  • Attend­ing a two or four-year col­lege
  • 3.0 min­i­mum over­all GPA
  • 100 aver­age in the school-to-work pro­gram
  • No dis­ci­pline record (includ­ing tar­di­ness)
  • Meet dis­trict atten­dance pol­i­cy
  • Sub­mit a one-page, typed essay on why you should be con­sid­ered
Appli­ca­tion Peri­od Closed

South Carolina WIRE

Jen­ny Bal­lard Oppor­tu­ni­ty Schol­ar­ship for Women Return­ing to Col­lege

The Jen­ny Bal­lard Oppor­tu­ni­ty Schol­ar­ship for Women Return­ing to Col­lege is award­ed by South Car­oli­na WIRE to two female elec­tric coop­er­a­tive mem­bers. Appli­cants for the $2,500 schol­ar­ships must have grad­u­at­ed from high school or earned GEDs (at least ten years ago), be accept­ed by an accred­it­ed South Car­oli­na col­lege or uni­ver­si­ty, and demon­strate finan­cial need.

Appli­cants must:

  • Be a mem­ber of a South Car­oli­na elec­tric co-op
  • Have grad­u­at­ed from high school or earned her GED at least 10 years ago
  • Be accept­ed into an accred­it­ed S.C. col­lege or uni­ver­si­ty, and
  • Demon­strate finan­cial needs and per­son­al goals.

The WIRE Oppor­tu­ni­ty Schol­ar­ship is award­ed to a woman who may not have been able to attend col­lege when she grad­u­at­ed from high school but now wants to fur­ther her edu­ca­tion. The $2,500 one-time schol­ar­ship will be pre­sent­ed to an elec­tric coop­er­a­tive mem­ber in South Car­oli­na based on the appli­can­t’s infor­ma­tion.

The 2026 dead­line was June 1, 2026.

Appli­ca­tion peri­od closed

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