Congratulations to Taya Schmaderer of Stuart, NE! Taya is the recipient of a $2,500 Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Scholarship! Taya is a recent graduate of Stuart High School and plans on attending Nebraska Wesleyan University this fall with a major in Business Administration with an emphasis in Pre-Law. Taya was just one of 38 FRS Scholarship recipients in 2022 with nearly 900 applicants nation-wide!

In May of 2022, NNTC’s General Manager Pat McElroy (above) surprised Taya at home with the news. “I was so surprised; I was supposed to go home to let the dog out. This is the first outside scholarship I’ve received, so that’s pretty cool,” said Taya.

This FRS Scholarship is called the Diana Jo Dreyer Memorial Fund. Diana grew up in Atlantic, IA, with her parents and five siblings, where she attended Atlantic High School and then graduated with her teaching degree from Augustana University. Diana found a successful career in telecommunications, where she excelled in sales and grew a large network of women in telecom who became some of her closest mentors and friends. Recognizing Diana’s impact to her company and women in telecom, INDATEL Services LLC and her family have established a scholarship with the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) for female students with an intent to study business.