Investing in hometown futures

In Wishek and Napoleon, North Dakota, investing in students is just how neighbors take care of their towns’ future. That is how Mary Ann Weber and Lisa Long see the work. Both women volunteer with local scholarship organizations that help students pursue college, trade school, technical training, and continuing education.

Mary Ann and Lisa have watched these students grow up, leave for school, find their way, and sometimes come back home with new skills and families of their own. They take pride in these students for the grades they earn, the jobs they hold, the teams they play on, the plays they join, the fairs they volunteer at, and the ways they contribute to the town around them.

Mary Ann has spent years working with Wishek Area Dollars for Scholars, helping students access support for four-year degrees, two-year programs, trade schools, and continuing education. Students go on to pursue studies in fields such as agriculture, engineering, technology, science, and mathematics.

The work is personal to her. One student she remembers struggled academically when he was younger, but he kept doing the work—applying, updating his applications, asking for references, and continuing his education year after year. Watching him grow into a successful young professional reinforced what Mary Ann has long believed: when students put in the effort, communities should help open doors.

In nearby Napoleon, Lisa sees the same determination. After nearly three decades in the community and about 10 years on the Napoleon Scholarship Fund Committee, she has watched local students grow from children into graduates preparing for their next step. The committee’s work is one way the town tells those students they are not on their own. “They are hard workers,” Lisa says. “They've seen hard work all their lives, and they've also seen adults who care about their communities. That's instilled in them.”

Both women recognize that cost is one of the biggest barriers students face when pursuing education after high school: the financial burden. Scholarships cannot remove every challenge, but they can make opportunities more accessible and relieve some of the pressure on families.

For a company building an energy project nearby, support like this is about more than generating power. It is about showing up in ways that last after construction ends—helping local volunteers do more for the young people who will shape what these communities become next.

Orsted’s support is helping both communities keep that idea going. In both Wishek and Napoleon, a $25,000 contribution to each school’s scholarship fund will provide one $1,000 scholarship each year for 25 years to a graduating senior from Wishek High School as well as one from Napoleon High School. Those are practical gifts. They help families with real costs. They make the volunteer work a little easier. But they also say something bigger: Orsted wants to be part of the community in a way that is useful, local, and long-term. “It shows that they really care about the area that they have a business in, and they want to have everybody succeed—not only their business, but also the youth that are growing up here,” Lisa says.

Mary Ann sees it the same way. To her, support for scholarships, the community pool, and other local needs is part of being a good neighbor—the kind that stays in touch, follows up, and understands that a town’s future is built over decades.

That is the long view behind the scholarships Mary Ann and Lisa help manage. The goal is to create opportunity, build confidence, and prepare the next generation of teachers, tradespeople, healthcare workers, engineers, business owners, and community leaders. Because a good neighbor does more than build nearby. A good neighbor helps a place keep going.