Arvig awards $3,000 scholarships to 36 Otter Tail County seniors

Arvig has put $108,000 directly into the hands of 36 area high school seniors, awarding each student a $3,000 Royale B. & Eleanor M. Arvig Memorial Scholarship for use at a college, university or vocational school.

The Perham-based company said the class of 2026 recipients were chosen for achievements or interests in mathematics, engineering, accounting, computer science, telecommunications or the physical sciences. Arvig’s scholarship page says applicants must use the award to further their education in one of those fields, maintain at least a C GPA and contact their school counselor for details.

For Otter Tail County families, the timing matters because these awards arrive just as graduation season pushes tuition and training costs to the front of the line. The company said the memorial scholarship is designed to emphasize the importance of higher education and encourage civic leadership, giving the program a clear local workforce angle as students decide whether to pursue four-year degrees or vocational training.

Arvig tied the scholarship to its own history in the region. Royale and Eleanor Arvig began offering telephone service to the Perham area in 1950, and the company said the scholarship honors that legacy while investing in the next generation. Arvig also said it became an Employee Stock Ownership Plan company in 2002 and that 40 percent of the business is employee-owned today.

The company said it awards more than $100,000 in scholarship funding annually to high school students in its service area. Along with the memorial scholarship, Arvig also offers Foundation for Rural Service scholarships and Minnesota Telecom Alliance Foundation scholarships to help students pursue higher education.

Arvig said the recipients came from area schools across its service region, including schools such as Perham High School, New York Mills High School, Bertha-Hewitt Public School, Nevis Public School, Norman County East School, Ulen-Hitterdal High School and Walker-Hackensack-Akeley. The company’s annual scholarship giving, repeated at the same scale in 2025, shows the program is now a standing part of its local investment rather than a one-time award. As Arvig continues to connect homes, businesses, schools, libraries, medical facilities and government entities across Minnesota, the scholarship dollars are helping anchor local talent before it leaves the county for more training.