Lexa student earns two-year Helena Industries scholarship at PCCUA

A Lexa student has landed a Helena Industries scholarship that does more than trim tuition. Erin Wallace’s award ties Phillips County classrooms, a Helena-West Helena campus and a local employer into one debt-reducing path toward a degree and, eventually, a job close to home.

Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas-Helena announced Wallace as the newest recipient of the two-year academic scholarship on April 21, 2026. The award pays $500 each fall semester and spring semester for two consecutive years, as long as Wallace keeps a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average.

The scholarship is aimed at students who already show signs they can finish what they start. PCCUA says applicants must have at least a 2.5 high school GPA, be well-rounded and enroll full time. The college also says selection can weigh a completed application, high school transcripts or GED certificate, test scores, extracurricular participation, community service and other awards and honors.

Wallace is pursuing a degree in business administration, which gives the scholarship a direct workforce angle for Phillips County. Business training can feed the needs of local offices, small businesses, nonprofits and retail operations, while helping keep students connected to the county where they grew up. Lexa’s location near the Helena-West Helena campus makes the award especially rooted in eastern Arkansas, not an opportunity that pulls students away from it.

Helena Industries describes itself as one of the largest contract chemical manufacturers in the United States, with services that include toll formulations, packaging, warehousing and supply-chain support. The company also says it is committed to improving the communities where it operates, and the scholarship shows that commitment taking shape in a way that can help build the next generation of local talent.

PCCUA, which serves Helena-West Helena, DeWitt and Stuttgart, has listed other Helena Industries scholarship recipients before, including Armontez Harrison of West Helena. The college’s broader scholarship listings also show that some other Helena-campus awards pay $500 per semester for two years, placing Wallace’s scholarship inside a larger system of multi-semester aid designed to keep students enrolled and on track.

For Phillips County, the value is bigger than one award. It is a reminder that a local employer, a local college and a student from Lexa can work together to build a path that keeps education, training and future paychecks in the Delta.