KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Tuesday announced that 40 students from hometowns in its service area will receive scholarships totaling $250,000 from the 2022 Better Together STEM Scholarship Program.

Among the awardees are three students from Lake and Mendocino counties.

The PG&E Corporation Foundation funds the scholarships.

This year, the foundation is sponsoring 20 scholarships of $10,000 each and 20 scholarships of $2,500 each.

The scholarships are given to students pursuing a degree in the science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines.

STEM education fosters ingenuity, creativity, and experimentation, leading to new ideas, innovations, and technological advancements that can have global impact.

This year’s scholars include:

Brody Breeden, from Kelseyville, attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and pursuing a degree in computer science.

Ronan Williams, from Boonville, attending University of California, Irvine and pursuing a career in biology.

Brayden Martinez, from Ukiah, attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and pursuing a degree in engineering.

“I cannot truly express how much the support means, as it will help tremendously with my ability to focus on my schoolwork as I am entering one of the most trying and labor-intensive years of the program. Thank you very much for investing in my future education and career,” said Martinez, a Ukiah native and $2,500 scholarship recipient.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, demonstrated participation and leadership in school and community activities, and financial need.

“These local scholarship recipients inspire us and represent the next generation of leaders and innovators for our hometowns. We’re glad to do our part to help reduce the costs of the next step in their STEM-based careers,” said Ron Richardson, PG&E North Coast region vice president.

Scholarship recipients must plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study for the entire 2022-2023 academic year and be seeking their first undergraduate degree at an accredited four-year institution in California, or at a historically Black college and university, or HBCU, anywhere in the United States.

HBCU eligibility was added in response to a trend in applications from high-achieving students admitted to HBCUs, none of which are in California.

Supporting local scholars

Since 2012, the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program has awarded more than $6.7 million to accomplished students. Charitable donations come from PG&E shareholders, not PG&E customers.

In addition to the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program, PG&E's 11 employee resource groups, or ERGs, and three engineering networking groups, or ENGs, award scholarships to help offset the cost of higher education. The funds are raised entirely through employee donations, employee fundraising events and PG&E’s employee giving program, the Campaign for the Community.

Since 1989, more than $5 million ERG scholarships have been received by thousands of recipients.