BELLE, W.Va. — Belle Chemical Company rolled out its new annual scholarship program to support Kanawha County students in post-secondary learning on Monday at Carver Career and Technical Education Center.
Company officials were on hand with leaders from Kanawha County Schools and the Town of Belle to launch the Belle Chemical Scholarship Program to offer $500 scholarships for eligible students pursuing STEM-related degrees at accredited universities or community colleges in West Virginia.
JoLena Broussard, Senior Corporate Affairs and Communication Advisor at Belle Chemical Company told 580-WCHS that the company focuses on workforce development.
“We definitely want to make sure we hire locally. It’s about getting these kids now who are interested in going into a STEM field and could be potential employees to Belle Chemical in the future. We want to make sure we’re helping them along the journey any way we can,” she said,
Graduating high school seniors and current undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to Belle residents, a release said.
Alicha Hunt, the Operations Manager at Belle Chemical Company who is also a lifelong Belle resident said Monday was a special day for her and the company.
“As a lifelong resident of Belle, it’s near and dear to my heart to give back to the community,” Hunt said.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling of pride really, to be able to help them.”
Belle Chemical Company in conjunction with the launch of the scholarship program announced two donations to community partners:
· $2,500 donation – Town of Belle to support Belle’s sign project.
· $2,000 donation – Carver Career and Technical Education Center’s Emergency Services/EMT Class to support the program. The program trains students on firefighting and basic EMT training.
Students looking to apply to the scholarship program can apply HERE. The deadline to apply is March 6, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EST.