First Harvest Credit Union Awards $14,500 in Total 2026 Scholarships

First Harvest Credit Union awarded $14,500 in scholarships during its annual scholarship giving season, including $12,000 in direct scholarships to six graduating high school senior members through the 2026 First Harvest Scholarship Program, bringing student members closer to achieving their academic endeavors. Additional scholarship funds were awarded to Southern New Jersey academic programs within First Harvest’s field of membership, including the Eastern Camden County Regional School District and Camden City School District, furthering the credit union’s commitment to supporting students across the communities it serves.

2026 First Harvest Scholarship Program

First Harvest awarded six graduating high school senior members $2,000 each to help offset tuition costs. The 2026 Scholarship Committee selected the recipients based on academic merit, community involvement, and an essay describing how young adults can better utilize First Harvest and other financial institutions to set themselves up for financial success. Eligible applicants for this year’s program were graduating high school senior members who had been accepted into an accredited two- or four-year college, university, trade, technical, or business school.

“As the cost of higher education continues to climb, meaningful financial support has never been more important,” said First Harvest President and CEO Mike Dinneen. “At First Harvest, we believe in investing in the next generation of community leaders. With more than 100 Southern New Jersey school districts within our field of membership, we are proud to support students’ futures through our annual scholarship program and community-based scholarship initiatives throughout the region. These efforts help ease the financial pressures of pursuing higher learning, and we are thrilled to celebrate our member and community graduates this year. There is no greater investment a credit union can make than in the education and development of its own members.”

Recipients of the 2026 First Harvest Scholarship Program & Supported Community Scholarship Programs

• Sophia Alicea – Graduate of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School and plans to attend Haverford College
• William Saron Crisdon Jr. - Graduate of Creative Arts High School and plans to attend Kean University
• Madeline Dubler - Graduate of Shawnee High School and plans to attend The College of New Jersey
• Kayla Hackett - Graduate of Holy Spirit High School and plans to attend Fairfield University
• Makayla Lassiter - Graduate of Pennsauken High School and plans to attend Rowan University
• Brandon Snow Jr. - Graduate of Moorestown Friends School and plans to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology
• Hannah Carty - Graduate of Eastern Regional High School and plans to attend West Virginia University
• Lourdeshka Martinez Melecio - Graduate of Camden Big Picture Learning Academy and plans to attend Rutgers University - Camden