Hoosier Energy announces scholarship recipients

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Posted on Feb 29 2024 in A Co-op Perspective, Bartholomew County REMC, Clark County REMC, Daviess-Martin County REMC, Decatur County REMC, Dubois REC, Harrison REMC, Henry County REMC, Jackson County REMC, Orange County REMC, Southeastern Indiana REMC, Southern Indiana Power, WIN Energy REMC
Christopher Hollen
Christopher Hollen (right) of Whitewater Valley REMC receives a certificate from Andy McComas of the North American Lineman Training Center.

Logan Wilson
Logan Wilson (right) of Daviess-Martin County REMC receives a certificate from McComas.

Hoosier Energy announces the 2024 recipients of the W. Eugene Roberts and Daniel L. Schuckman Memorial Scholarships, given annually to students from Hoosier Energy member cooperatives attending the North American Lineman Training Center (NALTC) in McEwen, Tennessee.

Christopher Hollen from Whitewater Valley REMC and Logan Wilson of Daviess-Martin County REMC are this year’s winners.

Hollen grew up on a 150-acre cattle farm about five miles outside of Liberty, but he didn’t see his future in farming. What he did see was the REMC on his way to school every day with those big trucks planting the seed of becoming a lineman in his mind.

During his sophomore year of high school at Union County, he studied electricity at the career center in Connersville, fueling the idea of a career in the power industry.

Hollen made two visits to lineman schools, one in Cincinnati close to home and the other to NALTC. Five minutes into the drive home from Tennessee, he knew where he would attend.

“I was blown away,” Hollen said. “They talked lineman stuff, but beyond that, they talked about building your character, how to get a job, finances — it all really intrigued me…It was obvious that was where I needed to be.”

The decision would turn out to be just as obvious for Wilson, who grew up in Elnora. He got work experience in a lawncare business started by his older brother, which he continued along with his twin brother.

By his senior year of high school at North Daviess, Wilson knew he wanted to work outside. Doing what, he wasn’t sure yet.

While watching YouTube one day, a video about a lineman popped up, piquing his interest. Not knowing where to start, Wilson simply typed “top lineman schools” into his search. The first one to pop up was NALTC.

“I didn’t have any idea what to look for, but I kept reading about it and thought it would be a good fit,” he said. “It was the only one I looked at, and then I went to it.”

It was a decision he did not regret. As a matter of fact, his twin brother will be attending next semester, making Wilson a trendsetter for his family and his school.