Carroll Electric Membership Cooperative has named eight aspiring linemen as the 2021 recipients of the Lineman School Scholarship. Anderson Bradley, Carson Cummings, Anthony Graley, Matthew Miller, Seth Morris, Javen Sheppard, Kaden Taylor and Justin Wilburn will attend a lineman school in Georgia fully funded.

Since 2017, Carroll EMC has helped kick start the careers of 25 individuals through the Lineman School Scholarship. The scholarship covers tuition, textbooks and other related institutional fees for up to 24 months after the award date which eliminates the financial stress of pursuing post-secondary education and training.

“This scholarship is truly a blessing because it’s my opportunity to get a good paying job right out of high school,” said Graley who is still deciding on which lineman school he will attend. “It will be awesome to start my life in the real world without any debt.”

The cooperative is founded on a set of guiding principles; one of which is concern for community. As good stewards of its Members’ dollars, Carroll EMC puts those funds back into the surrounding area by supporting next generation development through programs like the Lineman School Scholarship. Going beyond financial assistance, scholarship winners are also paired with a lineman mentor from the co-op who offers guidance through their training.

“It’s great to see a young person pursue a goal like that and make a career out of it,” said Carroll EMC Journeyman and scholarship mentor, Jimmy Thompson. “Knowing what they’re in for, it’s exciting for me to watch them get into this work and have an opportunity to watch them grow.”

From the winners, a selected few have begun or plan to attend South Georgia Technical College, North Georgia Technical College and the Southeast Lineman Training Center.