Local internet service provider United Communications announced the recipients of $24,000 in college scholarships awarded through its annual United Community Foundation scholarship. Six high school seniors in Middle Tennessee will each receive $1,000 per year to help pay for up to four years of post-secondary education and this year, two of the six students are graduates of Rutherford County Schools.

Aleyah Smith, who graduated from Eagleville High School in Rutherford County,  will attend Middle Tennessee State University to study nursing. In Smyrna, Ryu Vongsaly who graduated from Smyrna High School in Rutherford County will also attend MTSU. Vongsaly will study computer science. Each of the two local students will receive $1,000 per year in scholarship funds to help pay for their education over the next four years.

The scholarship fund was originally created to support students related to employees at the company. The program quickly expanded to provide opportunities to other deserving applicants at local high schools.

Since its inception, the United Community Foundation has awarded more than $48,000 in merit-based grants to 20 local students based on academic performance and commitment to community service. “United is proud to invest in a promising new generation of great minds and future leaders from our hometowns,” said William Bradford, President and CEO of United Communications. “Each student has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to learning while also making a positive difference in their communities, and we wish them the very best as they continue their educations.”

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 United Community Foundation scholarships: 

• Ryan Waterson - Ryan is a graduate of Community High School in Bedford County and plans to study radiologic technology at Columbia State Community College.
• Aleyah Smith - Aleyah is a graduate of Eagleville High School in Rutherford County and will attend Middle Tennessee State University to study nursing.
• Abby Davenport - Abby is a graduate of Forrest High School in Marshall County and plans to pursue a degree in finance at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
• Anna Karoline Maddox - Anna Karoline is a graduate of Nolensville High School in Williamson County and plans to study marketing and international business at Belmont University.
• Ryu Vongsaly - Ryu is a graduate of Smyrna High School in Rutherford County and will attend Middle Tennessee State University to study computer science.
• Jadon Hickman - Jadon is a graduate of Summit High School in Williamson County and plans to major in exercise science at Trevecca Nazarene University.

United is a local Middle Tennessee company that is committed to enriching the lives of residents within their community. Applications for the United Community Foundation scholarship are open each spring to graduating seniors at the following high schools:

• Community High School (Unionville, TN)
• Eagleville High School (Eagleville, TN)
• Forrest High School (Chapel Hill, TN)
• Nolensville High School (Nolensville, TN)
• Smyrna High School (Smyrna, TN)
• Summit High School (Spring Hill, TN)

Interested students can learn more by visiting with their college counselors and by following United Communications on Instagram (@unitedcommunicationstn) and Facebook (@unitedcommunicationsTN).

About United Communications - United Communications is a leading provider of internet, digital TV, and phone services to enterprise-class businesses and residential customers in Middle Tennessee. United is recognized as a 2022 Top 100 Fiber-To-The-Home Leader, a Smart Rural Community Provider℠, a “Fastest Internet Service Provider” by BroadbandNow, and the winner of the 2021 Broadband Communities Cornerstone Award, which honors the most notable deployments of Fiber-to-the-Home in the U.S. and abroad. United operates approximately 1,700 route miles of fiber covering portions of Williamson, Rutherford, Marshall, Bedford, Franklin, Wilson, and Davidson counties. United Communications is a service of Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation. To learn more, please visit united.net.