Denver, June 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges awarded a record-breaking $568,923 in scholarships to 310 community college students, an 112% increase in total funding from the previous year. The program makes higher education and workforce training possible for students attending all 13 colleges in the Colorado Community College System (CCCS).
“We are thrilled to reach this milestone and provide much-needed financial support for our students, many of whom are students of color or the first in their family to go to college,” said J. Adam Cermak, executive director of the Foundation. “Scholars go on to serve in healthcare, information technology, and other critical industries that provide a living wage and move our state forward. We are proud to put transformative education and training in reach for Coloradans who need it most.”
Representing all 13 colleges, nearly 2,000 students applied for scholarships this year—a 25% jump from 2021. Scholarships range from $1,000 and $5,000 with an average award of $1,800.
“I am honored to be selected as a Kaiser Permanente Scholar and extremely grateful for the generous investment in my future,” said Shaydie Boyd, a Red Rock Community College student. “This scholarship will help me take the first step toward my dream career in nursing and make a better life for myself and my son.”
Applicants go through a rigorous selection process that reviews their financial need and short essays about their education, career goals, and community involvement. Nearly 100 trained scholarship readers, including seven Foundation board members and 36 CCCS employees, scored submissions to help select the awardees.
“At a time when costs are rising for gas and groceries, every dollar counts,” said Adon Wolff, a Front Range Community College student. “The PepsiCo Uplift Scholarship goes a long way in covering the costs of college and gives me the chance to focus on my studies. I am beyond excited to start college and give back to our amazing state.”
The announcement comes as the Foundation celebrates five years of continued growth in funding and scholarships awarded. Among many private and corporate donors, the PepsiCo Foundation, Stone Family Foundation, and Kaiser Permanente provided the largest boost, funding 120, 87, and 26 scholarships, respectively.
To make the process more inclusive, the Foundation’s board recently launched an equity taskforce that recommended improvements to the marketing and application process and will monitor outcomes. The Foundation also hosted several online workshops to help students spruce up their applications.
The scholarship process has closed for academic year 2022-2023 and will reopen again in March 2023. For more information on the Foundation and the scholarship process, visit www.cccs.edu/foundation-for-colorado-community-colleges.
###
About CCCS
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education and workforce development, delivering thousands of programs to over 125,000 students annually through 13 colleges and 35 locations across Colorado. The System’s open-access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to high quality, affordable higher education opportunities. The System Office provides leadership, advocacy, and support to the colleges under the direction of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). Join us in changing the way Colorado goes to college www.cccs.edu.
About the Foundation For Colorado Community Colleges
Founded in 1987, the Foundation for Colorado Community Colleges advances the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of the Colorado Community College System. Specifically, the Foundation actively seeks contributions from public and private sources to make scholarships available statewide, advance key programmatic initiatives, provide training and support for CCCS college foundations, and develop partnerships to implement state of the art programs that meet the workforce needs of the 21st century.
Attachment
