First Commerce Credit Union Empowers Financial Futures by Awarding a Total of Four $1,000 MyWay Scholarships to Local Students  

First Commerce Credit Union recently awarded four $1,000 MyWay Scholarships to credit union members ages 17-29 to help support their higher education pursuits. This is the ninth year First Commerce has awarded the scholarships to recognize students who demonstrate excellence in school and beyond. Two MyWay scholarships were awarded to Florida students and two were awarded in Georgia. D’Aja DeWindt and Zamari Lewis, both from Tallahassee, Florida, were selected as this year’s Florida scholarship recipients.

MyWay Scholarship applications and essays were judged by an independent panel of educators from distinguished institutions of higher learning, including Florida A & M University, Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College, and Valdosta State University. Winners were selected based on criteria including grades, community service, leadership, school activities, and work experience. Each applicant was also required to submit an essay or short video elaborating on their experiences with and approach to money, as well as lessons learned. Scholarships will be paid directly to the student’s chosen institution of higher learning and can be used to help pay for school expenses such as tuition, fees, and books.

“First Commerce is committed to helping our members build strong financial futures,” said Cecilia Homison, First Commerce CEO. “The MyWay Scholarship program empowers our young members to pursue higher learning goals, which can open doors to career opportunities that set them on a path toward long-term financial success.”

About the Florida Winners

D’Aja DeWindt plays volleyball, flag football, and has been active in girls weightlifting at Lincoln High School. The high performing senior plans to attend Florida State University in the fall to study biochemistry. In her scholarship application, she wrote, “My parents have played a big role in my finances. From a young age, they opened up a savings account for me at First Commerce. I would save up my chore money and they would take me to the bank to make deposits. As soon as I started working at the age of sixteen, I set up for automatic transfers to be made from my checking account to my savings account every pay period. With the help of my mom, I opened up a CD that would help me generate more money into my savings. I set a goal for myself to save a certain amount of money by the time I graduate from high school, and I am proud to say that I have already reached that goal.”

Zamari Lewis, also graduating from Lincoln High School, plans to attend Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and study Business Administration. The AP Excellence Award recipient is also actively involved in Key Club, Tallahassee Future Leaders Academy, and National Honors Society. She shared, “When I used to hear my mom talk about budgeting, I did not think it was that hard. However, I quickly learned not only is it hard to figure out how to budget but also to stick to that budget. I will make smart decisions and build a trustworthy relationship with my credit union so that when the time comes, I will be able to one day buy a car or house.”

To be eligible to apply for a MyWay Scholarship, students must have a First Commerce checking account in good standing. First Commerce offers two types of free checking accounts for young adults — SmartStart Teen (available for ages 13-17) and Power Checking (ages 18+). Both accounts offer financial empowerment features such as free online financial education courses, an Automatic Savings Option, no Overdraft Fees, the ability to send and receive money securely through Zelle^®, real-time text and email alerts on account activity, credit score monitoring and management, and 24/7 digital banking with mobile deposit. For more information, visit FirstCommerceCU.org/Checking.