FECU Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to our 2025 scholarship recipients! This year FECU awarded two $1,000 scholarships to Federated Employees Credit Union members. Scholarship winners receive the scholarship money after completing the first semester of the 2025-2026 school year. 

We truly appreciate all the candidates for taking the time to complete the FECU Scholarship application and the effort put into the essays provided.  

Logan Langeberg

ESSAY: "How do credit unions help members like you build a brighter financial future?"

For many people, their first experience with saving money is a piggy bank. For me, this was also true. When I was four years old, my piggy bank became full. I emptied it into a Ziploc bag, and my mom took me to Federated Employees Credit Union to open a savings account. I was beaming with pride at how much I had saved. I handed over my bag of coins to the nice lady and watched in awe as the machine counted and sorted my coins. It seemed like magic. I was taught that if I left my money in my savings account, it would grow over time. This fascinated me. The first time I withdrew money was probably within that same year when I wanted to replace my Francesco Bernoulli toy car that my dog had chewed up. I remember being afraid that my money would no longer grow because I was taking some out. This was not the case, but the point is that I was being frugal with my money. Growing up with a FECU membership helped me build my money management skills. I have various accounts and access to online banking through FECU, which will be very useful when I am in college and not able to visit the physical credit union. Credit unions help members like me build a brighter financial future because they provide high-quality services that are hard to find somewhere else.  At its core, a credit union is a financial institution. To fully understand the advantages of a credit union, we must first understand the other types of financial institutions and the services they provide. There are six main categories of financial institutions available to the individual consumer. Retail banks, largely owned by stockholders, offer checking and savings accounts, loans, credit cards, and more. Savings and loan associations offer services focused on real estate assets. Investment banks and brokerage firms help consumers invest in the stock market. Mortgage companies provide loans for real estate. Insurance companies manage the risk of financial loss for policyholders. As an aspiring actuary, I will play a crucial role in that risk management, likely working for an insurance company. The last major category of financial institutions is credit unions. Similarly to banks, credit unions also offer checking and savings accounts, loans, credit cards, and more. However, credit unions have special characteristics that separate them from banks and other institutions.  So, what truly gives credit unions an advantage over other financial institutions? To put it simply, credit unions are member-focused and offer deals and rates that other institutions don't. This is because credit unions are both owned and operated by their members. Unlike banks, which are for-profit, credit unions are not-for-profit institutions whose primary purpose is to serve their clientele rather than simply earn profits. The members of a credit union contribute by working there and/or using their services. Credit unions are led by a volunteer board of directors that are elected by members. At FECU, the board of directors serve 3-year terms, in which they represent the members of the credit union. Unlike many banks, the board of directors at a credit union truly cares for the well-being of the members because they are members themselves. In this way, members are what make credit unions function. Members have a say in the products and services offered by the credit union and use those services as members. To be a member at a credit union, you have to be in a group of people with a common trait. This could include working for an employer, living in the same geographic location, or simply being in a member's family. FECU is composed of Federated Insurance Company's employees and their families. I was able to open an account with FECU as a young child because my parents worked at Federated.   I gained early knowledge of saving and working with money through my FECU membership. In the near future, it will continue to be an asset. I will be able to use the money I have saved to pay for some of my college tuition. I will also have the opportunity to take out student loans at lower rates than other institutions offer. I will utilize the service of online banking where I can access my accounts from wherever I am. The financial skills and literacy I have gained from having a FECU membership will prove useful in my daily life. After college, I envision myself using the auto loan options to buy a car. I also see myself opening a money market account once I have adequate funds to put into one. When I reach the point in my life where I will look to buy a house, the home mortgages FECU offers will provide me with options in that decision. Credit union members like myself have access to unique financial opportunities that allow them to build their way to a brighter financial future. I feel grateful knowing that I have Federated Employees Credit Union on my side.

Abby Jordison

ESSAY: "How do credit unions help members like you build a brighter financial future?"

Credit Unions are easy to use, and their employees are helpful. A lot of Credit Unions try to help people get to their financial goals. This mentorship can help high school students stay motivated and accountable as they work towards their financial goals. Credit Unions often provide low-interest loans and credit- building products tailored to young members. These help high school students like me establish and build their credit history in a responsible manner. In 10th grade, I had a class in school that taught us how to be responsible with your money. That course opened my eyes to saving more than you spend along with having a responsible savings strategy can work.  Credit Unions help people be responsible by having people be able to open more than one account.  My parents have always told me and my brother to save some of our income for the future. I have been saving since I was 15 years old, when I got my first job. What works for me is to have a couple different savings accounts. Credit Unions are willing to let you set up accounts to be used as a bucket system like we were taught in financial management class [the Dave Ramsey system] by having different accounts. I know I have enough money for my car expenses, emergencies, and normal expenses. I also have a college savings account that I will be using next year to help pay for college. I use my FECU savings account as a future car savings account. Most of the time I act like this account isn't even their unless I need to pay for a major car repair. I think starting to save young is one of the key factors to a brighter financial future. A CD helps individuals, including high schoolers, by providing a low-risk way to learn about saving and investing.  They encourage disciplined saving habits by offering guaranteed returns over a fixed period of time. This also allows them to build funds for future goals like college or a down payment on a house. I had an opportunity to invest in a CD this year. I like earning interest on the money you put into the CD. A CD minimizes the temptation to take the money out for spending due to the maturity date being for a specific timeframe in the future. In conclusion, I think Credit Unions have helped me be more responsible with my spending habits and saving habits. I plan on continuing to save and invest for a brighter financial future for myself. I have learned from people at the Credit Union how to be smarter with my money instead of always spending it. 

Applications cannot be submitted after February 28, 2025. Scholarship applicants must be members of Federated Employees Credit Union in good standing as determined by FECU. Previous winners and immediate family and household members of the Board and Staff of FECU will not be considered. Applicant must be a student pursuing post-high school education in the 2025-2026 school year (fall and spring semesters). The school can be a public or private university, college, graduate or law school, or a 2-year or 4-year community or technical college. All schools must be accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Financial need is not considered when selecting scholarship recipients. The selection committee members are volunteers from the FECU board and management. The committee will review all applications and select the scholarship recipients. The decision of the selection committee is final and not subject to review.