Justin Midgorden was named the first recipient of a $1,000 scholarship from Mason Lodge No. 49 in Demopolis. He received the check on Thursday.

“I feel great!” Midgorden said. “It’s a lot of stress off my mind. I’ve been stressing a lot over money because I’ve been having to work extra hours and fix my truck. This is just a big load off of my mind.”

Midgorden is a sophomore at the University of West Alabama, and is considering studying to become a teacher. He graduated from Demopolis High School in 2008.

“We put up $500 of the scholarship fund and sent his name to our grand lodge,” said lodge member Tommy Cristwell. “If his name is drawn out, they match it.”

“The lodge has a scholarship committee of five members,” said lodge member Ken Sherwood. “We request information from each applicant, and we screen that information. He must provide us with his grades and anything to do with his college life.”