Published: 6/8/2020 2:31:01 PM

GREENFIELD Thanks to community generosity, the Greenfield Community College Foundation has awarded 261 scholarships totaling $293,687 to help GCC students reach their life goals.

According to a GCC press release, because of the ongoing pandemic and the economic downturn, scholarships are more important than ever to help students afford their education and balance work, school and family needs.

We are going through a moment where investing in our young people and those striving for financial independence and a higher standard of living is critical, said GCC President Yves Salomon-Fernndez. We cant let our community fall behind. Higher education remains the great equalizer.

All scholarship awards are made possible through donations from individuals, local businesses, corporations, GCC faculty and staff members, and alumni. According to the release, this years in-person scholarship awards ceremony was canceled in consideration of current public health guidelines.

It is sad to lose this opportunity to celebrate our students together, said GCC Executive Director of Resource Development Regina Curtis. However, we are deeply grateful that community members continue to step up to support scholarships. Knowing that you are helping to change lives and strengthen our community is incredibly powerful.

Scholarships range in size and eligibility requirements, and include awards to students enrolled in credit-bearing certificate and degree programs, as well as participants in the GCCs non-credit workforce development programs, the release states.

Many of the scholarships are given to students who experience unique barriers to completing their education. For example, the Drs. Frederick & Helen Ellis Scholarship is for non-traditional students who attend college later in life. This years recipient is aspiring engineer Michael Heitke-Felbeck, of Sunderland, who said returning to academia after 15 years has been challenging, requiring real persistence and discipline.

Twenty-two-year-old single mother and Nursing Pursuit Scholarship recipient Aaliyah Baker, of Holyoke, explained in her scholarship application how important the financial support is for furthering her goal of becoming a nurse.

It is important to me to be considered for these awards because I want to be able to be that beacon of hope, and to show my peers and my children that anything is possible with dedication and determination, Baker said. I have had to face so many hardships and I am so young, but I am still here and still pursuing my dreams.

Turners Falls resident Amanda Cooke, winner of the Constance and Julius Roth Scholarship for students in the early education program, said her ambition is to have her own child care business, and that the scholarship will help her overcome the financial obstacles involved in seeking higher education.

My parents have always wanted me and my sister to go after our dreams, Cooke said. However, there is always that financial burden of worrying about paying for school and future loans.

Northampton resident Claire Netto got the Stan and Jean Cummings Environmental Studies Scholarship to help her earn a bachelors degree.

My enrollment in STEM courses in college has given me a feeling of hope, and becoming educated is the biggest superpower that humans have, in my opinion, Netto said. I want to dedicate my life to a career in STEM, and with the help of a scholarship, this can help make my dreams possible. Being a first-generation college student in a single parent family, finances have always been daunting when considering my educational pathways.

For a complete list of the scholarships awarded, visit gcc.mass.edu/awards. For more information about the GCC Foundation, contact Regina Curtis at 413-775-1426 or curtisr@gcc.mass.edu.

Continue reading here:

GCC Foundation awards nearly $294K in scholarships - The Recorder