On Monday, April 21, the SECO Youth Programs Committee hosted a special recognition event to honor this year’s 12 Youth Scholarship awardees. Each student was awarded a $3,000 scholarship to support their educational journey. SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees President and District 3 Trustee Gerald Anderson congratulated the 2025 Youth Scholarship awardees.

President Anderson stated, “Congratulations to this year’s exceptional student awardees and their families that have supported their education goals. Learning about their accomplishments, fields of study, and the accolades earned by these young men and women in our communities is truly impressive. SECO and other electric cooperatives are constantly seeking new talent, and I believe we can find that talent right here in our hometowns. I encourage these students to consider bringing their talents, skills, and abilities to SECO Energy when the time comes to begin their careers.”

SECO Energy’s 2025 Scholarship Awardees are:

• Cayman Azis – Celebration High School – Marine Biology and Ecology
• Abigail Colon – West Port High School – Animal Science
• Cedrick Gener – Citrus High School – Electrical Engineering
• Maria Leon-Salazar – Real Life Christian Academy – Mechanical Engineering
• Suhani Nihalani – Vanguard High School – Biomedical Engineering
•  Isabella Raistrick – West Port High School – Nursing
•  Charles Randall – Foundation Academy – Nuclear Engineering
•  Peyton Ressler – The Villages Charter High School – Political Science
• Jonathan Rodriguez – Lake County Home School – Mechanical Engineering
• Mittie Thomas-O’Brien – Umatilla High School – Health Services Administration
•  Zachary Townsend – Belleview High School – Constructional Engineering
• Leslie Zavala-Guillen – South Sumter High School – Medicine

SECO Energy CEO Curtis Wynn shared similar sentiments. Wynn said, “As I reviewed the scholarship awardees selected by the Youth Programs Committee, I was inspired by their stories and achievements. Congratulations, students – you are on the path of success because of your hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence. As President Anderson mentioned, SECO and the energy industry as a whole are in need of young driven talent as we embrace emerging new technologies and navigate new industry challenges.”

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SECO Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 250,000 homes and businesses across the Florida counties of Sumter, Citrus, Marion, Lake, Levy, Pasco, and Hernando. SECO is the seventh-largest electric co-op in the nation. SECO’s wholesale power provider is Seminole Electric, one of the nation’s largest generation and transmission cooperatives, serving two million consumers in Florida. Seminole is owned by nine electric distribution cooperatives, and SECO is one of those nine member-owners. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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The not-for-profit electric cooperative provided $3,500 in funding to the Education Foundation of Lake County to be used toward the Lake County Schools Robotics Scrimmage, scheduled for Saturday, October 2, at Tavares Middle School.

During the event, area elementary and middle school robotics students utilize math, coding and engineering in order to sharpen their programming and robot driving skills. Participating teams may earn points toward a bid to compete at upcoming regional robotics competitions.

SECO Energy Sr. Consultant for Civic, Charitable and Government Relations Kathy Judkins states, “SECO is proud to partner with local school districts to fund projects related to STEM.  We know our future workforce may likely be among the robotics program students, and we want to ensure they know the SECO is community-focused and that potential employment opportunities await them after high school, technical school or college.”

Fourteen teams participated in the 2020 Lake County Schools Robotics Scrimmage with some teams receiving invitations to compete at the regional and world level.

“The Lake County Schools robotics program engages students in compelling, real-world challenges that help them become better collaborators and problem solvers,” said Carman Cullen-Batt, Executive Director of the Education Foundation of Lake County. “Thanks to SECO Energy’s generosity, the robotics students will learn in-demand knowledge and skills that they can use in high school and the rest of their life.”

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About SECO Energy 

SECO Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 200,000 homes and businesses across the Florida counties of Sumter, Citrus, Marion, Lake, Levy, Pasco and Hernando. SECO is the third largest electric co-op in Florida and the seventh largest in the nation. SECO’s wholesale power provider is Seminole Electric, one of the largest generation and transmission cooperatives in the nation, serving 1.6 million consumers in Florida. Seminole is owned by nine electric distribution cooperatives, and SECO is one of those nine member-owners. In addition to ranking highest in customer satisfaction in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 J.D. Power study, SECO’s 2020 ACSI score is 91. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

 About the Education Foundation of Lake County 

Established in 1987, Education Foundation of Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and designated direct support organization for Lake County Schools. Our mission is to serve as the connection between our community and public education, evaluating needs and securing resources to enhance the quality of education. The Education Foundation of Lake County operates for the benefit of students and teachers in Lake County Public Schools.

Education Foundation of Lake County is ranked among the Top 50 Education Foundations in the United States by the Caruthers Institute. For more info, please visit EdFoundationLake.com. 

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