Scholarships awarded for those in energy fields

Three local students are getting some extra support in their higher education pursuits.

Silicon Valley Power has awarded three scholarships – each $5,000 – for students pursuing energy-related studies. SVP has run the program over the last 15 years, totaling $237,000 for 51 students.

Chief Electric Utility Officer Manuel Pineda awarded the scholarship funds at the Santa Clara City Council meeting July 14.

The three students this year are Ryota Inagaki, Vincent Kloes, and Serena Kutney.

Inagaki graduated from Santa Clara High School and is now studying Engineering, Math, and Statistics at UC Berkeley. Kloes graduated from Wilcox High and will start at the University of Virginia this fall, studying Earth Science. Kutney is a Santa Clara resident who recently finished her junior year at UC Davis. She is studying chemical engineering.

According to Silicon Valley Power, the scholarships are part of the utility’s “[investment] investing in the future workforce of the electric industry.”

For students looking to apply for the next round of scholarship funds, the application period opens in October.