Meet the Winners of Our Inaugural Flywheel Future Scholarship

At CleanChoice Energy, we’re dedicated to taking care of the communities around our solar farms. We’re also committed to supporting the next generation of leaders in renewable energy and environmental sustainability. To support these goals, we created the Flywheel Future Scholarship—a concrete way to reward and celebrate exceptional local high school students.

During the first 4 years of operation for each of our solar projects, we will award a $5,000 scholarship to a graduating high school senior from the local school district.

This year, we are honored to present the inaugural Flywheel Future Scholarships to two students: Jason B. and Joel Evans, who attend the local high schools near our Blairs Valley and Kylertown solar projects, respectively.

Out of two pools of incredible applicants from James Buchanan High School and West Branch High School, Jason and Joel were selected due to their excellence in academics, extracurriculars, leadership, and environmental sustainability.

Read more about our two winners below:

Jason B.

Jason (pictured above) is a graduating senior from James Buchanan High School, which is located in Franklin County, PA, near our Blairs Valley solar project.

Throughout high school, Jason has excelled in his academics, extracurricular activities, and volunteer work. He is a straight-A student, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the Envirothon team, a member of the DECA business club, a volunteer at a local food pantry and Vacation Bible School, and an employee of 6 years on a local sheep farm. Jason truly does it all!

After graduating, Jason plans to attend Shepherd University in West Virginia and study environmental science.

Hear from Jason on his commitment to the environment:

“It is important to take care of the environment because it was here before humans were even made, and if we don't take care of it, the generations after us will not get to enjoy the beauty of it.

I currently work on a sheep farm. One of the best things about my job is that it is supporting a local farmer, which is extremely important for both the community and the economy. Another way that my job benefits the community is that we do rotational feeding during the summer. This means that we move the sheep across many different sections of grass, making sure they don’t over-graze a certain plot of land. This allows the land to recover after it has been eaten down, reduces the risk of the farm becoming a barren wasteland of dust, and prevents erosion and runoff that could be harmful for one of the nearby streams. We make sure to be efficient when using the land we have, but not harmful and destructive.”

Congratulations, Jason!

Joel Evans

Joel (pictured below) is a graduating senior from West Branch High School, which is located in Clearfield County, PA, near our Kylertown solar project.

Throughout high school, Joel has excelled in his academics, extracurricular activities, and leadership roles. He is a straight-A student, a member of the National Honor Society, president of the student government, captain of the basketball team, president of the ski club, and an employee of 3 years at a local catering company—demonstrating his strong leadership capabilities (and time management skills!). 

After graduating, Joel plans to attend Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania and study to become a physician assistant.

Hear from Joel on his commitment to the environment:

“As a student, I participated in several community service projects to help make our environment more sustainable. With small tasks like picking up trash on the sides of our community roads, and helping organize school events, I have always pushed for a cleaner and well-organized world. I have participated in several trash pickups in my community to make the roads more welcoming and safer for animals and pedestrians. Community involvement and innovative ideas can greatly enhance our environment and energy sustainability. Much of our community is aware of the problems going on in the environment, but are scared to help and brainstorm ideas to help. A little push from others in our community would drastically change the view of sustainability and community service as a whole.

I think it is important to keep the environment taken care of because it is the world that we are going to live in for the rest of our lives. By taking care of it, we will be able to extend the Earth's life expectancy and live healthier lifestyles.”

Congratulations, Joel!

It is an honor to get to know the local communities surrounding our solar projects—especially the remarkable high school students. We look forward to recognizing another group of students next year!

Interested in learning more about our solar development work and how we take care of the communities near our farms? Learn more about how we do solar differently here: cleanchoiceenergy.com/generation