Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) is offering two educational opportunities for students in its 18-county service area.

The Southside Opportunity Fund, created by the SEC Board of Directors, will award $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors who will graduate in 2018 and are headed to college or a technical/trade school, while high school juniors can apply for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., in June. Application deadlines are in March.

Each program represents SEC’s continued commitment to the communities it serves and a way to enhance the quality of life for area residents. Students who attend public and private high schools and home schools can apply for the scholarships and Youth Tour.

To apply for a scholarship, the student’s primary residence must get its electric power from SEC, the applicant must receive a high school diploma or GED by the fall of 2018 and the applicant must be entering his or her first semester of college or technical/trade school in the fall immediately following graduating from high school. The application deadline is March 30.

In the last two years, the Southside Opportunity Fund has awarded 30 scholarships. Eight students will be selected to attend the all-expenses-paid Youth Tour in the nation’s capital June 10-14. Some of the planned activities include visiting Capitol Hill, meeting members of Virginia congressional delegation, seeing monuments and museums, taking a cruise on the Potomac River, attending a Baltimore Orioles baseball game and joining with other students from across the United States for a Youth Day rally and dance.

Any high school junior who lives and attends school in SEC’s service area is eligible to apply. The student’s parents or guardians do not have to receive electricity from SEC. The application deadline is March 9. More information, including the application process, is available at www.sec.coop/YouthTour.