Jones County Student Awarded Cypress Creek Energy Scholarship
Durham – Cypress Creek Energy is pleased to announce that one student from Jones County, NC has been selected to receive a 2026 Energizing Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship award, recognizing their academic achievement, leadership potential, and commitment to shaping the future of their communities.
Kelseigh Hardin – Jones Senior High School
The student received a one-time $2,500 scholarship to support tuition, housing, books, and other educational expenses associated with their post-secondary education. As part of the application process, the students were asked to submit a short video responding to the question, “How does renewable energy affect your future?”
"The future of our industry, our communities, and our country will be shaped by young people like these students," said Kevin Smith, CEO of Cypress Creek Energy. "One of the most rewarding parts of this program is seeing the talent, ambition, and creativity that exists in the communities where we operate. We're proud to support these students as they take the next step in their education and look forward to seeing the impact they'll make in the years ahead.”
About the Program
The Energizing Tomorrow’s Leaders scholarship program was launched in 2023 to positively impact young people in the communities where Cypress Creek develops and operates solar and battery storage projects, as well as to encourage students to consider careers in energy or other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. In 2026, the program expanded to 33 municipalities. Since its launch, Cypress Creek has awarded 207 scholarships totaling $343,500 to students in 50 municipalities nationwide.
The scholarship program reflects Cypress Creek's ongoing commitment to investing in the communities where it develops and operates energy projects.
Visit our 2026 Scholarship Winners page to view a selection of videos created by Energizing Tomorrow’s Leaders scholarship recipients.
About Cypress Creek Energy
Cypress Creek Energy is an independent power producer and leading provider of fast, firm, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions. It develops, finances, owns, and operates utility-scale and distributed energy infrastructure – including solar, storage, and firm capacity solutions – to serve utilities, communities, and large-load customers. Since inception, Cypress Creek has commercialized 19 GW of projects, maintains a portfolio of more than 6.8 GW of operating and under-construction assets, and has a 19 GW development pipeline of new projects planned for construction over the coming years. Cypress Creek’s leading O&M platform, Cypress Creek Solutions, operates and maintains more than 8.6 GW of energy assets across 24 states.
