Summit Credit Union: Local student awarded $5,000 continuing education scholarship

Contact: Joanne Belanger, 608-243-5000x 2833, joanne.belanger@summitcreditunion.com

Cheryl Tessier, APR, 608-695-6510, ctessier@finessepr.net

MADISON, Wis. – Mariah Ortega-Flowers, a senior at James Madison Memorial High School in Madison, Wis., was awarded the Summit Faust Scholarship at the Boys & Girls Club Hearts for Helping event recently in Madison. The $5,000 continuing-education scholarship is awarded annually to eligible high school seniors who are members of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County and members of either STAR Credit Union, the only youth-chartered credit union in the world, or Summit Credit Union, the supporter of STAR Credit Union.

Ortega-Flowers is an AVID/Tops Scholar through the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, of which she has been a member since September 2012. She is also active at her high school, in organizations such as Spartan Leadership Group, the Black Student Union and LINK Crew and is a varsity athlete as well. After graduation this May, Ortega-Flowers hopes to study sociology or social work in order to pursue her interests in social justice, equality and human rights.

“Mariah has her sights set on building a career around being an advocate for and making a positive impact on community youth,” said Kim Sponem, STAR Credit Union founder and Summit Credit Union CEO/president. “She is a wonderful representative of the Boys and Girls Club as well as the spirit behind the Summit Faust Scholarship. We wish her continued success as she begins pursuing her dreams at college this fall.”

Including the Faust Scholarship, Summit Credit Union awards more than $20,000 in scholarships to students each year. To learn more, please visit: www.summitcreditunion.com. Applications for the 2016 Summit Faust Scholarships will be available at STAR Credit Union, located at 2001 Taft St., in Madison, beginning November 2015.

About STAR Credit Union:

Subsidized by Summit Credit Union, STAR is the only youth-chartered credit union in the world. It is STAR’s mission to help instill financial literacy and responsibility among members of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Inc., by providing access to financial services and the opportunity to participate in the development and operation of the credit union. For more information, visit: http://www.saveatstar.com/.

About Summit Credit Union:

Established in 1935, Summit Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative open to anyone in Wisconsin. Summit holds $2.1 billion in assets and has more than 142,000 members with 30 locations throughout the Madison and Milwaukee areas. For more information, visit www.summitcreditunion.com or call 608-243-5000 or 1-800-236-5560.