2026 Jay York Scholarships awarded

The Jay A. York Scholarship was established to honor the first Minnesotan to lead the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). Jay York was a respected leader in rural electric cooperative issues for nearly 30 years. In 1964, he was elected to the Nobles Cooperative Electric (NCE) Board. Mr. York was known for his strong leadership, dignity, deep understanding of complex issues, and unwavering dedication to rural Americans.

This year, eight distribution cooperatives and Great River Energy contributed to the scholarship fund in Jay’s honor. The distribution cooperatives were Dakota Electric Association, Federated Rural Electric and Broadband, McLeod Cooperative Power, Nobles Cooperative Electric, Redwood Electric Cooperative, Renville-Sibley Cooperative Power Association, Sioux Valley Energy, and South Central Electric Association.

Scholarships of $500 were awarded to Ankit Mukhopadhyay of Dakota Electric Association, Kayla Mattson of Federated Rural Electric and Broadband, Grace Lipke of McLeod Cooperative Power, Kendall Huhnerkoch of Redwood Electric Cooperative, Mackton Bratsch of Renville-Sibley Cooperative Power Association, Lydia Talsma of Sioux Valley Energy, and Lizzie Bramstedt of South Central Electric Association.