Scholarships and Awards

These Scholarship options are available to:

High school seniors and non-traditional students planning to enter college for the first time are encouraged to apply.

For students planning to attend a 4-year college or university

One-time awards up to $3,000 each - awarded as two equal amounts across two semesters of study.

For students planning to attend a 2-year college

One-time awards up to $1,500 each - awarded as two equal amounts across two semesters of study.

APPLICANTS MUST:

• Be high school seniors or others preparing to begin full-time study at 2- or 4-year accredited colleges
• Reside in Tompkins, Cortland, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, Madison, and Ontario Counties
• Open a membership savings account in the applicant’s name before Friday, March 21, 2025
• Complete and submit the application form, letters of recommendation, and official transcript by Friday, March 21, 2025

Recipients will be chosen based on a variety of factors, including extracurricular and community involvement, letters of recommendation, completion of an essay, and academic achievement. Scholarships may be used towards the many expenses related to a college education.

This Community Service Award is available to:

High school seniors and nontraditional students earning their GED are encouraged to apply.

For those who give back

One-time awards up to $1,500 each

APPLICANTS MUST:

• Be either a high school senior or nontraditional student graduating or earning a GED in the spring of 2025
• Reside in Tompkins, Cortland, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, Madison, and Ontario Counties
• Open a membership savings account in the applicant’s name before Friday, March 21, 2025
• Complete and submit the application and recommendation form(s) by Friday, March 21, 2025

Recipients will be chosen based on a variety of factors, including their volunteer experience. Awards may be used at the recipient’s discretion.

This Scholarship is available to:

CORE, a division of CFCU Community Credit Union members who are high school seniors or full-time college students at an accredited degree granting institution.

For students

One-time awards up to $1,000 each

APPLICANTS MUST:

• Be a member of CORE, a division of CFCU Community Credit Union.
• Be either a high school senior or full-time college students at an accredited degree granting institution.
• Reside in Onondaga or Madison Counties.
• Application must be postmarked no later than Friday, March 14, 2025.

Recipients will be chosen based on a variety of factors, including their financial need and academic performance.

The CFCU Education Committee consists of employees and volunteer(s) from the CFCU Community Credit Union’s membership. The primary role of the Education Committee is to oversee CFCU’s annual scholarship and award program which includes 2-year scholarships, 4-year scholarships, and a Community Service Award.

The Education Committee is made up of the following employees and volunteers:

• Jennifer Clark (Chair)
• Art Bakert (Award Distribution Processor)
• Andria Colon
• Leigh Alo
• Laura Edick
• Debbie Grusenmeyer

For questions, please contact the:

CFCU Education Committee

CFCU proudly continued its support of local area students striving to better themselves and our local communities. In 2024, we awarded over $57,000 in Scholarships and Awards to high school graduates!

Your success is our passion!

Community Service Awards

• Lincoln Kersey, John C. Birdlebough High School
• Alexis Partridge, Moravia Jr./Sr. High School
• Madalyn Perkins, Groton Jr./Sr. High School
• Andrew Thomas, Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School
  

Student Branch Awards

East Syracuse-Minoa (ESM) High School

• Michael Ojeda
• Shayla Sanson
• Logan Welch

Cicero-North Syracuse (CNS) High School

• Katelynn Brown
• Thomas Newton
• Nathan Williams

 Richard V.V. Stringham Scholarships

• Benjamin Beer, Ithaca High School
• Mckenna Crocker, Dryden High School
• Sophia DiGennaro, Chittenango High School
• Nyah Ernste, Ithaca High School
• Genevieve Femino, Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
• Tristan Hagel, Geneva High School
• Emily Hay, Our Lady of Mercy for Young Women
• Kaylee Hastings, Dryden High School
• Tirmizi Hossain, Ithaca High School
• Daniel Jackson, Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
• Alicia Long, Ithaca High School
• Mia Miller-LaBar, Lansing High School
• Rachel Molloy, Cazenovia High School
• Karamia Montalvo, Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
• Anya Packard, Ithaca High School
• Austin Raicht, Marcellus High School
• Ezri Rubenstein-Miller, Ithaca High School
• Chloe Russell, Dryden High School
• Sophie Scanlon, Lansing High School
• Rachel Tay, Ithaca High School
• Natalie Tibbals, Newfield High School
• Crosby Woods, Ithaca High School
• LeAnn Zhu, Ithaca High School

 Walter Bazydlo Scholarships

• Clara De-Souza, SUNY Delhi
• Abigail Herrington, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Benjamin Kowanes, East Syracuse-Minoa High School
• Shayla Sanson, East Syracuse-Minoa High School
• Jonah Sauve, Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins
• Rebecca Seargent, East Syracuse-Minoa High School
• Ella Smith, Springfield College
• Leslie Yakubu, East Syracuse-Minoa High School

2023:

Community Service Award

• Trinity Odom-Reed, Ithaca High School
  

Student Branch Awards

East Syracuse-Minoa (ESM) High School

• Zackary Harmon
• Maeve Hooker
• Zachary Johnson

Cicero-North Syracuse (CNS) High School

• Andrew Hillman
• Khol Kalfass
• Roemellow Robinson

 Richard V.V. Stringham Scholarships

• Miles Ackerman, Ithaca High School
• Madison Boyer, McGraw High School
• Mary Effinger, Homer High School
• Zakary Eshelman, Dryden High School
• Siena Goebel, Ithaca High School
• Simon Goldweber, Ithaca High School
• Ryleigh Larkin, Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
• Julianna Nelson, Newfield High School
• Boaz Ng, Ithaca High School
• Andrew Partigianoni, Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
• Breanna Romans, Homer High School
• Nicole Rudert, Lehman Alternative Community School
• Shannon Ryan, Cincinnatus High School
• Jonah Sauve, Chittenango High School
• Keenan Smith, Baker High School
• Zachary Taylor, Newfield High School
• Addyson Wells, Lansing High School
• Hajo Wise, Dryden High School
• Stephen Yang, Ithaca High School

 Walter Bazydlo Scholarships

• Julia DePalmo, Cedarville University
• Abigail Herrington, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Samuel Nessel, Cornell University
• Angelina Polcaro, East Syracuse-Minoa High School
• Jonah Sauve, Chittenango High School
• Ella Smith, Springfield College
• Keenan Smith, Charles W. Baker High School
• Kyle Williams, Cicero-North Syracuse High School
• Sydney Wright, Cicero-North Syracuse High School 

2022:

Community Service Award

Graham Morris - Lehman Alternative Community School

Richard V.V. Stringham Scholarship

Sophia Bennett - Southern Cayuga Central School
Joseph Borst Jr - South Seneca High School
Finnegan Buckley - Ithaca High School
Joseph Cataldo - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Alexandria Costich - Homer High School
Henry Deitcher - Ithaca High School
Adowyn Ernste - Ithaca High School
Faith Flood - Charles O. Dickerson High School
Sayed Ghazanfari (Masih) - Southern Cayuga Central School
Alexandra Gier - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Helena Griffin - Newfield High School
Madelyn Guido - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Gavin Hotchkin - South Seneca High School
Lazim Jarif - Ithaca High School
Peter Jesch - Homeschooled
Kate Keresztes - Ithaca High School
Mariah Loehr - Ithaca High School
Ava Mendez - Ithaca High School
Braeden Morrison - Marathon Jr./Sr.High School
Colby Sellen - Southern Cayuga Central School
Clara Tagliacozzo-Lee - Ithaca High School
Booke Tillotson - Marathon Jr./Sr.High School
Madeleine Wang - Herricks High School
Mason Zoner - TST Ptech Academy
Violet Zoner - Charles O. DickersonHigh School

2021:

Richard V.V. Stringham Scholarships:

Alexa Angulo-Stevenson - Charles O. Dickerson High School
Jackson Crocker - Dryden High School
Kaley Driscoll - Southern Cayuga Central School
Matthew Eckstrom - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Kirsten Fielding - Fayetteville-Manlius High School 
Irene Hwang - Ithaca High School
Evelyn Kim - Ithaca High School
Wisteria Kirk - Southern Cayuga Central School
Shaylyn Nair - Ithaca High School
Heidi Nydam - Dryden High School
Hannah Partigianoni - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Max Rubenstein-Miller - Ithaca High School
Diva Shirvastava - Ithaca High School
Alexis Stiles - McGraw High School
Henry Storch - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Skandan Subramanian - Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Sr. Secondary School
Nick Thurston - Southern Cayuga Central School
SAwyer Tierney - Ithaca High School
Saba Weatherspoon - Ithaca High School
Morgan Wilcox - Lansing High School
Abby Wilder - Lansing High School 

Community Service Awards:

Hannah Fitzgerald- McGraw High School
Sean Kennedy - Southern Cayuga Central School 
Emily McFadden - Geneva High School

2020:

Richard V.V. Stringham Scholarships:

Kathryn Aumick - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Samantha Benzel - Cattaraugus Litle-Valley High School
Kaley Driscoll - Southern Cayuga Central School
Gwenyth Gisler - Lansing High School
Morgan Haaf - Ithaca High School
Pearl Hettich - Cortland Jr./Sr. High School
Sidonie Lazarus - Ithaca High School
Cameron Lemberg - Ithaca High School
Matthew Luby - Newfield High School
Margaret McCurdy - Charles O. Dickerson High School
Caelan Murphy - Dryden High School
Suong Nguyen - Ithaca High School
Lauren Reeves - Groton Jr./Sr. High School
Averie Roberts - Groton Jr./Sr. High School
Jacob Schmidtt - Southern Cayuga Central School
Cora Smith - Waverly High School
Evelyn VanNess - Charles O. Dickerson High School

Community Service Awards:

Tyler Abbott - Southern Cayuga Central School
Paige Euson - MarathonHigh School

CFCU Community Credit Union has partnered up with Student Choice to bring you access to student loans with great benefits.