In support of continuing education for rural youth, Northwest Communications Cooperative (NCC) is proud to sponsor three scholarship programs. To qualify, the applicant, or the applicant’s parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must be members of NCC.
Applications for the following scholarships are sent to area schools and colleges/universities. Additional applications may be obtained by contacting NCC at 701-568-3331 or 800-245-5884. The scholarship applications are also available below for download
For the fortieth year, NCC is sponsoring this scholarship which was established in honor of the previous manager, Art Johnson, who worked for NCC from 1951 to 1985. NCC will be awarding four (4) $1,000 scholarships in 2025. These scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors and students in post-secondary institutions. The application deadline is March 13, 2025.
For the twenty-third year, NCC is pleased to sponsor a technology scholarship. This scholarship was established in honor of previous General Manager Kenneth Lund, Jr., who worked for NCC from 1969 to 2003. NCC will be awarding two (2) $1,000 technology scholarships in 2025. These scholarships are available to graduating high school seniors and undergraduate students. Preference will be given to students enrolled in a curriculum studying the telecommunications, information technology, and/or computer technology field at an accredited technical school or a two or four-year college/university. However, all high school seniors and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is March 13, 2025.
For the twenty-first year, NCC is excited to offer students in our local school districts the opportunity to apply for this national scholarship program sponsored by our national affiliate, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association. In 2025, FRS will award thirty (30) $2,500 scholarships to rural high school seniors. This scholarship is not available to students in post-secondary institutions. Local students in our service area will be competing with other rural students in our NTCA region, which includes ND, SD, MN, and WI. Should a student from our service area be selected to receive one of the 30 scholarships, FRS will fund $2,000 and NCC will fund $500. The FRS scholarship is not a scholarship based on grade point average. Rather, it is geared toward seniors who are good, solid students, but may not qualify for scholarship programs based solely upon GPA. Some preference may be given to individuals expressing an interest to return to work in a rural area following graduation. Applications must be submitted online to FRS by February 14, 2025, using this link: https://www.frs.org/scholarships . One application qualifies a student for all applicable available FRS Scholarships.
EXPERIENCE YOUR NATION’S CAPITAL WITH THE 2025 FRS YOUTH TOUR JUNE 3 – 7
All expenses paid by NCC.
The Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Youth Tour brings more than 100 high school students and chaperones from rural communities across the nation to Washington, DC, for five days to learn about legislative and agency processes and the important role of broadband services in rural communities. This unique educational experience provides an opportunity to visit Washington, DC, meet high school students from other states, and tour historical sites while also learning about Capitol Hill and the Federal government.
While on the Youth Tour, students and chaperones will:
Who is eligible to participate?
Students must be high school students, age 15, 16 or 17 at the time of the tour. Students age 18 or over are ineligible to attend.
How do I register?
Use the button below to access the application. Applications must be submitted to NCC by February 14, 2025.
Students selected to participate will receive:
The Youth Tour is hosted in partnership with your local telecommunication provider and the Foundation for Rural Service, a non-profit organization whose programs advance rural communities by focusing on education for rural youth, encouraging community development and introducing policymakers to the challenges of providing broadband services in rural communities. Students participating in the Youth Tour will be under the supervision of chaperones and FRS staff at all times.
Kyra Bakken, daughter of Grady and Traci Bakken of Lignite, ND, is a freshman at North Dakota State University pursuing a degree in radiologic sciences. She is a Burke Central High School graduate. She has kept busy this school year by earning a 4.0 GPA, babysitting, playing intramural volleyball, attending NDSU athletic events, and joining clubs. Within the Saddle and Sirloin organization, she has sold Thanksgiving turkeys as a fundraiser, attended dances, volunteered, and most notably showed a goat for the first time at the 99th Little International competition in February. In May, Kyra will be moving back home for the summer working as a CNA and helping her family farm in the spring and harvest seasons.
Ann Crosby, daughter of Mark and Kiara Crosby, is a senior at Bowbells High School. She has been involved in Cross Country, Track, Speech, Envirothon, Academic Olympics, FBLA, Student Council, Pep Club, and Stats for Wrestling. Throughout her high school career, she has won multiple awards and held many leadership roles, including the title of FBLA State Social Media Coordinator in 2022-2023, and placed first at state FBLA for Graphic Design during the spring 2025 conference. In the fall, Ann plans to attend the University of Minnesota-Duluth to pursue a degree in Marketing and Graphic Design.
Brea Chrest, daughter of Marshall and Denise Chrest, is a senior at Kenmare High School. She has been involved in many extracurricular activities including volleyball, basketball, FBLA, FFA, Student Council, Academic Olympics, Math COUNTS, Envirothon, Drama, Track & Field, Cross Country, Band, and Choir. Brea has maintained a 4.0 GPA and has made the Straight A Honor Roll every consecutive year. She has received district and region honors in volleyball, and district honors in basketball. Brea also enjoys working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the local hospital and as a Barista at the local coffee shop. You may also catch her lending a helping hand on the family farm and ranch. In the fall, Brea plans to attend Minot State University to pursue a degree in Nursing while also playing as an MSU Beaver on the volleyball team.
Austyn Cvancara, son of AJ and Katy Cvancara, is a Freshman at the University of North Dakota, and a graduate from Ray High School. During High School he was involved in basketball, baseball, Academic Olympics, Science Olympiad, FBLA, and was the secretary for Ray’s FFA Chapter. Austyn is in his second semester of his freshman year at the University of North Dakota and is majoring in Commercial Aviation.
Titus Stubbs, son of Starrsky and Renae Stubbs, is a senior at Divide County High School. He is involved in several extracurricular activities, including Football, Track, FBLA, National Honor Society, and Band. He has also been class president in the DCHS Student Council for the past six years. Titus is the treasurer for the Divide County FBLA Chapter, and he has qualified for national competitions three separate years. At the 2025 State FBLA, he received first place in North Dakota in the Computer Problem Solving objective test. He has also competed at the North Dakota State Music Competition for the past four years. Titus currently works at St. Luke’s Medical Center as an IT Intern. He is the valedictorian of his class. Titus will be attending North Dakota State University this fall with a major in Computer Engineering.
Nicholas Wolla, son of Daniel and Vera Wolla, is a senior at Tioga High School. He has been involved in various activities throughout his high school career. He ran cross country and played golf all four years. During his junior year, he joined the Life Smarts team, as well as Cyber Madness. For two out of the four years he’s been in high school he was involved in the robotics First Tech Challenge. Nick is involved in his community by helping his church with their live broadcasts of services, as well as Gameday Media in running the camera for their live streams of high school sporting events. Academically he’s maintained a 3.8 average GPA throughout his high school career. After high school, Nick plans on attending Minot State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
