Martinez receives Iowa Credit Union Foundation scholarship

Yadira Martinez, of Mt. Pleasant, was awarded a $3,000 Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship in the Iowa Credit Union Foundation's 2019 scholarship essay competition. The award was presented by Community 1st Credit Union Mt. Pleasant branch manager Mark McKinley.

The ICUF awards 12 Morrow scholarships totaling $23,000. Martinez was one of eight high school graduating senior recipients. Four scholarships are awarded to post-high-school applicants. The 500-word essays addressed a financial lesson, event or experience that influenced applicants or their families personally and the role played by a credit union.

Martinez wrote she was 14 years old when she and her parents first opened checking and savings accounts. Her parents received a loan and established credit. C1st also helped the family through an online fraud incident and a loan to help with immigration.

'I think it's important that your credit union supports and helps their members, and speaks our language - Spanish,” she wrote in the essay. 'Now that I am older, I learned it is important to communicate (with my credit union) and ask questions because they have the knowledge and are willing to help.”

She will attend Southeastern Community College in Burlington in the fall.

'The mission of the ICUF is to help Iowans build wealth, responsibility and independence,” said Jaimie Miller, ICUF executive director. 'We do this through critical programs such as the Warren A. Morrow Memorial Scholarship.”

In addition to the state ICUF scholarships, Community 1st Credit Union will award $42,000 in continuing education scholarships to 19 area high school graduates in May.

Community 1st Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than $660 million in assets. The credit union, established in 1936, serves more than 58,000 members.