American Airlines Federal Credit Union Announces 2009 Scholarship Winners

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2004, American Airlines Federal Credit Union (AA Credit Union) has supported its young member-owners with scholarship award opportunities for higher education. This year, the credit union was pleased to once again award a total of eight scholarships. Seven $2,000 scholarships were awarded to high school seniors, and one $2,000 scholarship was awarded to a current college student.

The 2009 AA Credit Union Scholarship recipients were chosen from 263 applications from youth member-owners across the United States. Two selection committees comprised of credit union staff members reviewed applications which consisted of essays and listings of academic and extracurricular achievements.

“We never cease to be amazed by the level of talent displayed by the young people who apply each year. Increasing the bar of excellence makes each year a greater challenge for us to choose our recipients,” said Lori Hall, Senior Vice President - Marketing and Member Services at AA Credit Union. “But we’re happy to contribute to furthering the education of such an outstanding group of future leaders.”

AA Credit Union is proud to announce the recipients of the 2009 AA Credit Union Scholarship.

High school recipients:

• Samuel Florance, 18, of Fort Worth, Texas, has been accepted to Texas A&M University, and plans on a major in Architecture, with a focus on Environmental Design.
• Connor Doyle, 18, of Plano, Texas, is considering attending the University of Texas at Austin, Vanderbilt University, or University of Colorado, Boulder. He plans to pursue an Accounting Business Major, or a major in Chemistry.
• Lauren Sako, 17, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., plans on attending MIT, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, or the United States Air Force Academy, and majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
• Ryan Novak, 18, of Annapolis, Md., plans on attending the University of Maryland College Park, majoring in Engineering.
• Katie Birkenfeld, 18, of Kearney, Mo., plans on attending Rockhurst University, and becoming a writer and counselor.
• Elizabeth Adams, 18, of Dallas, is undecided, but has already been accepted to University of Texas, MIT, and Washington University. She plans on becoming a physician.
• Kaitlyn Briggs, 18, of Sherburne, N.Y., plans on attending Cornell University, and is following her dream to become a veterinarian; a plan she set for herself at age seven. After college, Kaitlyn wants to return to her underserved community and start her own practice.

College recipient:

• Brynne Piotrowski, 19, of Pensacola, Fla., is a student at Rollins College where she is majoring in Economics with a focus and strong personal interest in Environmental Studies.

Applications for the 2010 AA Credit Union Scholarships will be available in December 2009. To learn more about AA Credit Union Youth Programs or to become a member-owner, call (800) 533-0035, visit AACreditUnionYouth.org, or stop by your local credit union branch.

About American Airlines Federal Credit Union

Founded in 1936, AA Credit Union now serves the present and retired employees of American Airlines, their family members and people who work in the air transportation industry. AA Credit Union has more than 213,000 members nationwide and assets of more than $5 billion. As a not-for-profit financial cooperative, AA Credit Union is committed first and foremost to enriching their member-owners’ financial well-being through their participation in the products and services of the Credit Union. For more information, please visit www.AACreditUnion.org.

AA Credit Union is a registered trademark of American Airlines, Inc.