The Oklahoma City Community Foundation recently awarded scholarships to five Kingfisher County high school graduates through the state’s largest independent scholarship program.

Lane Dobrovolny, Cricket Kaya, Bryce Miller, Kaleigh Schaefer and Claire Ullery received a total of $29,000 in scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year.

A Kingfisher High School graduate, Dobrovolny is a recipient of the Oklahoma State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: Professionally Engineering the Future Scholarship, an award up to $6,000 offered to third-, fourth and fifth-year students pursuing degrees in engineering or engineering technology from a university in Oklahoma.

Dobrovolny is attending Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Kaya, also of Kingfisher, received the Carolyn Watson Opportunities Scholarship, an award up to $12,000 offered to seniors graduating from rural Oklahoma high schools.

Kaya is attending the University of Oklahoma this fall.

Miller is a Cashion High School graduate and a recipient of the Tommy & Jackie Maxon Scholarship, a $2,000 award offered to Cashion High School graduating seniors.

Miller is attending Oklahoma State University.

A Hennessey High School graduate, Schaefer received the Oklahoma Youth With Promise Scholarship, a $3,000 award offered to students who were in foster care at the time of high school graduation.

Schaefer attends North ern Oklahoma College.

Ullery, also of Hennessey, received the Mildred & William Young Scholarship, a $2,000 award offered to HHS graduating seniors.

Ullery plans to pursue undergraduate studies at Oklahoma State University.

“With the cost of college soaring and the economic impact caused by the chaos of the pandemic, paying for college is a major concern for students,” said Nancy Anthony, president of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.

The foundation offers more than 150 scholarship opportunities established by donors.

Because each scholarship is invested for longterm support, they can continue to provide unwavering financial support for students, even in the unpredictable times.

Designed to help a diverse range of students with higher education expenses, OCCF scholarships offer students the ability to pursue careers or colleges they may not have had the opportunity to pursue otherwise.

In total, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation awarded $2.5 million in scholarships to 799 students throughout the state for the 2020-21 academic year.

Graduating seniors from all 77 Oklahoma counties may be eligible to apply for scholarships for the upcoming year.

Online applications open Oct. 1, 2020.

To learn more about the scholarships available through the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, visit occf.org/scholarships.