Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced that 25 students from Central and Southern California have been awarded funds from the 2022 SoCalGas Scholarship Program.

For the first time, the utility has partnered with Scholarship America to provide multiyear scholarships for students studying science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), accounting, or finance. Scholarships are eligible for renewal for the next three years totaling over $300,000 in available funds.

The students were evaluated on their academic achievements, community involvement, and personal statements addressing the utility's sustainability actions in support of California's clean energy goals. With 87% of this year's recipients identified as minority students, SoCalGas' scholarship program continues to help create new opportunities for diverse and underserved scholarship recipients.

"Education is a key avenue to help people succeed, and these SoCalGas scholarships will help those with the highest needs," said Joe Buscaino, Los Angeles City councilmember. "During my decade as a Councilmember and prior career with LAPD, I saw firsthand how education created a path towards a better future for low-income Angelenos."

The program is administered by Scholarship America. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America's evaluation team.

Since the program's inception in 2001, the utility has awarded more than 2,200 scholarships totaling over $3 million in funding. Students who plan to attend a community college or trade school will receive a $1,000 scholarship and students who plan to attend a university, or four-year college will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Awards are renewable for three years or until a bachelor's degree is earned, whichever occurs first, on the basis of satisfactory academic performance for a total of up to $20,000 per recipient.

"Our youth are the driving force of the future. The goal of our scholarship is to nurture this group and help build the important foundation that will help prepare them for professional opportunities and higher education," said Andy Carrasco, VP of communications at SoCalGas. "We understand that rising educational costs can be stressful, and we want to help alleviate those worries as much as possible to allow our students a brighter future."