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“I believe there is still a hunger to get something done,”—these were the words of former State Representative Bill Lloyd when asked about the importance of public service careers.

Since Lloyd was in the ninth grade, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career in politics. Born and raised in Somerset, Lloyd is a 1965 graduate of Somerset Area High School. He studied Government at Franklin and Marshall College and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1972.

After college, Lloyd was directly commissioned into the Navy JAG Corps. He served on active duty from 1972-1976, working in the United States Navy Office of Legislative Affairs—a dream come true for Lloyd. After being released from active duty, he immediately began circulating petitions to run for the state legislature.

In 1980, on his third try, Lloyd was elected as a Democrat to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and served nine consecutive terms. From 2003-2011, Lloyd served as the Pennsylvania Small Business Advocate, where he supervised an office that tried cases before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on behalf of small business ratepayers. In addition to serving as an elected and appointed official in state government, Lloyd worked for the Pennsylvania Departments of Education and Justice and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Additionally, he taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Point Park College, St. Vincent College, and Messiah College.

In 2018, Lloyd started the William R. Lloyd, Jr. Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation. This endowment fund provides scholarship support for graduates of a Somerset County public high school, who are enrolled in an accredited college or university, and who are majoring or plan to major in Government, Political Science, or Politics. Lloyd started his fund to encourage Somerset County students to pursue careers in public service.

“We need to be promoting more civic involvement,” said Lloyd. “I think the more people we can get interested in a career in public service, the better.”

The most recent recipient of the William R. Lloyd, Jr. Scholarship is Morgan McGuire. McGuire is a senior at Washington and Jefferson College, double majoring in Accounting and Public Policy. In the summer of 2023, she completed an internship at the Somerset County Commissioners Office, where she received first-hand experience with local government and legislation. Morgan is also a part of her school’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, where she helps low-income individuals with free tax preparation.

McGuire shared her experiences with Lloyd, when they met last May, and Lloyd presented her with a $3,000 scholarship. During their meeting, they shared their enthusiasm for government, tax legislation, and other related topics. McGuire expressed to Lloyd how his scholarship will help her pursue future endeavors, including obtaining her CPA license, working in public accounting, continuing her schooling, and one day, running for public office.

“I’m just very thankful,” said McGuire. “Because of scholarships like these, I have minimal debt coming out of college, and I have the opportunity to pursue more schooling. It makes me feel seen and acknowledged for all the work I’ve put in and like I can achieve all the aspirations that I have.”

You can apply for the William R. Lloyd, Jr. Scholarship, and many others through our online scholarship application. The deadline to apply for our online scholarships is March 7. Click here to start your application.

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