Press Release: First Wind Continues Growth of its Scholarship Program with Announcement of Fifteen Recipients for 2011
Press Release
In its second full year, top high school graduates from Hawaii, Maine, New York, Utah and Washington are selected from an expanded and talented applicant pool
Boston, MA—May 24, 2011—First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, today announced fifteen recipients of the company’s scholarship program. In its second full year, applications to the 2011 First Wind Scholars program more than doubled, and the college-bound students selected to receive scholarships were from host communities in Hawaii, Maine, New York, Utah and Washington.
First Wind Scholars offers one-time, $3,000 scholarships to local high school seniors who display strong potential for a successful college experience, as well as interest in the environment, energy, or the sciences. Of the fifteen scholarships awarded, one exceptional student, Joshua Lake of Utah’s Delta High School, has been awarded a renewable scholarship of $5,000 for up to four years.
“In its second full year, we were very pleased to see the significant increase in applications from so many talented and bright high school students in the communities where we develop and operate wind projects,” said Carol Grant, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for First Wind. “As we grow our development of clean, renewable energy projects across the Northeast, the West and Hawaii, we will continue to expand our scholarship program with the hope that students within our host communities take full advantage it. For our 2011 recipients, we wish them all the best during their college careers and we are excited about their future contributions in the fields of environment, energy and the sciences.”
Hawaii
First Wind owns and operates two projects in Hawaii including its 30 MW Kaheawa Wind project on Maui and its 30 MW Kahuku Wind project on Oahu. First Wind has a power purchase agreement with Maui Electric Company for an additional 21 MW expansion of its Kaheawa Wind Project. In addition, First Wind hopes to build a 70 MW project near the town of Haleiwa, called Kawailoa Wind. First Wind received more applications from students living in Hawaii host communities than from any other state, which resulted in six scholarships being awarded to students from the state. This year’s recipients from Hawaii include the following:
• Dane Oshiro of Kula, a graduate of Maui High School, will attend Willamette University and will major in Environmental Science;
• Stephen Adolfson of Lahaina attended Lahainaluna High School and is enrolled in Colorado State University where he will pursue a degree in Engineering;
• Kamie-Lei Fujiwara of Wailuku, a graduate of Kamehameha Schools Maui, has been accepted to Dartmouth College and will major in Environmental Science;
• Kiana Wilson of Laie attended Kahuku High School and will be attending Brigham Young University-Hawaii with a major in Science/Journalism;
• Daniella Reyes of Mililani, a graduate of Leilehua High School, will be attending Santa Clara University in California and will major in Biology;
• Jeffrey Milhorn of Wahiawa, who also attended Leilehua High School, will attend University of Colorado at Boulder where he will pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Maine
First Wind owns and operates three projects in Maine: the 57 MW Stetson I and 26 MW Stetson II projects, both near Danforth, and the 42 MW Mars Hill Wind project in Mars Hill. The company is also currently building the 60 MW Rollins Wind project, which is situated in the towns of Lincoln, Burlington, Lee, Winn and Mattawamkeag. First Wind also has projects in development in Eastbrook and Oakfield, Maine. As part of the 2011 program, First Wind awarded scholarships to three high school students:
• Nicklaus Carter of Franklin, who is a graduate of Sumner Memorial High School, will attend the University of Maine where he will major in Chemical Engineering;
• Selden Porter of Lincoln, who attended Mattanawcook Academy, has enrolled into the Rochester Institute of Technology where he plans to study Mechanical Engineering;
• Dillan Hesseltine of Lincoln and also a graduate of Mattanawcook Academy will attend the Maine Maritime Academy as Marine Engineering Technology major.
New York
First Wind owns and operates the 125 MW Cohocton Wind project in Cohocton and the 20 MW Steel Winds project in Lackawanna. The three 2011 scholarship awardees from New York are all from Wayland-Cohocton High School:
• Hannah Kimmel of Wayland will attend State University of New York College of Environmental Science in the fall where she will study Renewable Energy;
• Alexander Decker of Cohocton has been accepted to University of Rochester and will major in Biology;
• Sarah Wolcott, also of Cohocton, will attend the Rochester Institute of Technology where she will pursue a degree in Engineering.Utah
First Wind owns and operates the largest utility-scale operating wind farm in Utah. The Milford Wind project features an operating phase of 204 megawatts (MW) and a second 102 MW phase, which recently achieved commercial operations. The First Wind Scholars program, which awarded its inaugural scholarship to a Utah student, will provide scholarships to the following two recipients:
• Joshua Lake of Leamington, who attended Delta High School, is the recipient of the four-year scholarship, will enroll at Utah State University, where he plans to study Electrical Engineering;
• Kyle Goodwin of Beaver, a graduate of Beaver High School, will attend Southern Utah University where he will pursue a degree in Engineering.
Washington
As part of its 2011 scholarships, First Wind also announced its first recipient in Washington, which is where the company has proposed the Palouse Wind project in northern Whitman County. Devin Saywers, a graduate of Cheney Liberty High School, will attend the University of Washington where he will major in either Physics or Chemistry.
Launched in October 2009, the First Wind Scholars program is available to high school students residing in each community where First Wind currently has a project in operation or in an advanced stage of development. The scholarship supports standout local high school students with an interest in studying the environment, energy or the sciences. In its first two years, the First Wind Scholars program has awarded 27 scholarships to top high school graduates from Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
About First Wind
First Wind is an independent wind energy company exclusively focused on the development, financing, construction, ownership and operation of utility-scale wind projects in the United States. Based in Boston, First Wind has wind projects in the Northeast, the West and in Hawaii, with the capacity to generate up to 635 megawatts of power and projects under construction with the capacity to generate up to an additional 121 megawatts. For more information on First Wind, please visit www.firstwind.com or follow us on Twitter @FirstWind.
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For more information, contact:
John Lamontagne
First Wind
Director, Communications
617-960-9521
