CBA Scholarships
The Community Bankers Association of Georgia proudly offers three distinguished scholarship opportunities.
Applications due to bank:
April 4, 2025
Due to CBA:
April 11, 2025
What is the Julian & Jan Hester Memorial Scholarship?
The goal of the Julian & Jan Hester Memorial Scholarship is to assist deserving high school seniors in their first year of college and to promote community banking. All Georgia high school seniors are eligible to compete for this scholarship if they are planning to enter a Georgia university, college, or technical institute (two-year program or more) in the fall semester of 2025, following their high school graduation (applicant must be a full-time student). Each year, CBA awards four (4) $1,000 scholarships.
To compete, students must be sponsored by a local community bank, must complete an activity record expressing their leadership activity in school, write a short essay on community banking, provide teacher recommendations and an official high school transcript. Awards are based on academic merit and not financial need.
The scholarship is named after former community banker and long-time CBA Chief Executive Officer, the late Julian Hester and his late daughter, Jan Hester. Jan was a senior at the University of Georgia when she died in an auto accident on April 15, 1990. In addition to supporting community banking, this scholarship is an opportunity to pass on the positive qualities both Julian and Jan Hester exemplified to further the development of tomorrow’s generations.
Applications due to CBA:
May 1, 2025
What is the McNair Family Scholarship?
The McNair Family Scholarship recognizes and honors the achievements of Nicholas (Nick) R. Cimino. The scholarship will be awarded once per year to an adult learner who is currently employed at a Georgia community bank and plans to work towards an associate, bachelors, or trade degree. An adult learner is someone two years removed from high school and working at least 25 hours per week at a Georgia community bank. The award is for $1,000.00 and will be paid directly to the institution of higher learning to offset student expenses (tuition, study materials, and expenses).
Applications due to CBA:
April 11, 2025
What is the J. Steven Walraven Memorial Scholarship?
Community Bankers Association of Georgia and the Walraven family announces an annual scholarship through the J. Steven Walraven Memorial Scholarship Fund to a full or part-time Georgia community bank employee planning to attend a college or university within the state of Georgia.
This $500 scholarship is awarded to a Georgia community bank employee attending a college or university within the state of Georgia. The goal of the scholarship is to assist those employees interested in furthering their education to enhance their career in community banking.
The scholarship is named for the late J. Steven Walraven, a former community bank president who dedicated much of his life to his community and community banking. His wife Rebecca and their sons have developed the scholarship in his memory.
Steve was a graduate of Reinhardt College and University of Wisconsin School of Banking. He began his banking career at the First National Bank of Atlanta. He worked for Gordon County Bank and Bartow County Bank and became president of Peoples Bank in 1981. In 1988, he helped form First Community Bank & Trust, serving as president. In 1999, he was named president of United Bank & Trust in Rockmart. Steve was a member of the Board of Directors of Community Bankers Association of Georgia and served as Treasurer.