Solar energy project officials, partners announce new $120K scholarship program for SUU students

SUU President Mindy Benson (center) is flanked by Local First Appaloosa Solar 1 Scholarship donors (and three potential student applicants), Cedar City, Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

CEDAR CITY — A new scholarship program called the Local First Appaloosa Solar 1 Scholarship was recently unveiled at Southern Utah University.

SUU students (L-R)
Courtney Cook, Cassidy Chamberlain and Jayden Wright talk about why they plan to apply for the Local First Appaloosa Solar 1 Scholarship program, Cedar City, Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The program will provide a total of $120,000 to qualifying SUU students who reside in Iron County and plan to stay local after obtaining their degree or certificate.

The scholarship is named after rPlus Energies’ new 200-megawatt Appaloosa Solar 1 project, which broke ground last September and is currently under construction in Iron County.

Officials announced the new scholarship during a brief press conference held at SUU’s Old Main building on May 15.

“We are thrilled to launch our second Local First Scholarship program, this time in Iron County,” rPlus Energies president and CEO Luigi Resta said in an SUU news release announcing the scholarship.

The first such program was initiated in central Utah’s Carbon County last year, Resta noted.

Luigi Resta, president and CEO of rPlus Energies, talks about Local First Appaloosa Solar 1 Scholarship program, Cedar City, Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“Iron County has been a great partner throughout the development and construction of Appaloosa Solar 1,” Resta added. “By providing this scholarship we hope to empower Iron County residents to enhance their skills and knowledge, and ultimately contribute back to the  growth of this vibrant community.”

SUU President Mindy Benson, who was on hand for the announcement, collectively thanked each of the scholarship’s sponsoring donors.

“We are delighted to welcome rPlus Energies, Gardner Group, Sundt and Greenbacker Capital as members of the T-Bird Family and appreciate their partnership to elevate SUU’s and Iron County’s  future,” Benson said in the news release, adding, “The impact of this scholarship will be felt not only by the awarded students, but also the entire Iron County region as it encourages additional workforce and economic development opportunities in our community.”

Also present for the announcement were three SUU students who are potential candidates for the scholarship. Nursing student Cassidy Chamberlain, agricultural student Courtney Cook and accounting and marketing major Jayden Wright each spoke briefly about their respective educational goals.

SUU President Mindy Benson (center) is flanked by Local First Appaloosa Solar 1 Scholarship donors, Cedar City, Utah, May 15, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“Without donors like you for scholarships, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in school, so thank you,” said Cook, who described herself as a non-traditional student who is married with two children.

“I am planning on starting my own business breeding and training horses,” Cook added. “I want to stay here locally because there’s not a lot of that here and I want to help bring that industry to Iron County.”

rPlus’s Resta called the group of partners backing the scholarship “an all-star team of developers and people in the renewable energy field.”

rPlus Energies, which operates as a subsidiary of the Gardner Group, focuses on developing solar, solar plus battery, wind, and pumped storage hydro facilities. It has projects in 17 states, Resta said.

Other sponsors also voiced their support for the scholarship program.

“Sundt is honored to support the Local First scholarship program and the Iron County students it serves,” said Sundt Renewables President Tom Dodson. “Helping local communities meet their  workforce needs aligns with Sundt’s purpose to build environments where all people can prosper.”

Added Ben Tillar, investments principal at Greenbacker: “Being a responsible community partner is one of our core values. We’re proud to continue contributing to the Local First scholarship series and supporting both education and the local workforce in Iron County.”

The Local First Appaloosa Solar 1 Scholarship program is currently open to Fall 2023 applicants through the MYSUU portal. For more information, contact Maile Resta at [email protected].

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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