The City of Alcoa reported today that Rachel Abbott of heritage High School is the recipient of a $4,000 college scholarship awarded by TVA and the City of Alcoa Electric Department.

Rachel is one of 30 scholarship winners chosen from 134 applicants through the TVA Power Distributors Scholarship Program. She had a 4.17 high school grade point average and is attending Bryan College, majoring in Biblical Studies. Rachel is the daughter of Don Abbott who is an employee of the City of Alcoa Electric Department.

TVA and local utilities served by TVA created the scholarship program in 1995 for the children of local utilities’ employees. The scholarship program encourages students to excel while recognizing the strong partnerships between TVA and distributors of TVA power.

The program has provided have provided over $1 million in scholarships over the past ten years. Scholarships are awarded based on the student’s high school GPA, ACT/SAT test scores, participation in school and community activities, honors, work experience and statement of goals. Scholarship recipients are selected by a panel of college professors from across the Tennessee Valley.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 9 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality, and recreation.