Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Scholarships Available at LBCC



















Nearly 100 scholarships are available to students at LBCC.


Nursing, science, welding, environmental technology, foreign language, international student, waste management, pharmacy tech, culinary arts, and automotive are just a few.


Donations for scholarships are made by businesses, organizations, clubs, and individuals. Some are set up by families in memorial of a loved one.


One type of scholarship is a straight cash donation made to be used until the money is gone. A second type of scholarship is called an "endowment" that has a generous minimum of $15,000 donation. An endowment donation stays in an account and only uses the earnings of the initial donation, ensuring that the money will never run out.


Applications are accepted during the first four weeks of Spring and Fall Terms. There may be individual department scholarships offered independently on a case-by-case inquiry, but there are many options for financial assistance if students know where to look. Unfortunately, each year many scholarships go unclaimed.


"Every scholarship cycle there is money not awarded because there aren't enough applicants," said Sharon Wall, financial aid scholarship coordinator.


However, the biggest issue for scholarships not being rewarded to those that do apply are incomplete applications and failure to provide proof of requirements such as veteran status.


"One great thing students can do is have someone proof and review their application for completeness," said Bev Gerig, director of financial aid.


Financial Aid accepts all the applications and does the initial review of applicants to weed out those that don't meet the criteria or are incomplete. Then applications are put together for Paulette Myers and for the scholarship committee, which reads all presented applications and decides who will be the awardees.


The committee looks at the financial needs of the applicant and a snapshot of their financial aid picture. Other criteria may be GPA, extracurricular activities, clubs, and volunteer work. Some require sports or SLC leadership involvement. Some require an essay.


Paulette Myers, foundation coordinator at LBCC, works with high school counselors and the LBCC Financial Aid office to make sure students have as many options as possible and know where to find them.


"I coordinate events and fundraisers like a golf tournament every year. And I sit in on the committee for scholarships,” Myers said. "I get to have fun making the money, and I get to have fun giving out the money.”


The money is up for grabs, but where can students find it?


The LBCC website has a database of scholarships with detailed information attached to each one. Requirements to apply are named for each, ranging from city or county of residence to age, gender, nationality, or major.


Quick access to the list can be found by searching the word "scholarships" on the LBCC homepage.

The complete list of Fall Term scholarships will be available on September 1.

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