Scholarship deadline draws near
Free money, start now, here is how

By N.J. Bedwell · The Mainstream
Published April 26, 2011

The UCC Foundation Scholarship Coordinator, Becky Robinson, would like to see more students complete or update 2011-2012 online applications prior to a deadline set for 5 p.m. April 29 because there is a strong desire to fully utilize the funds available. Awards range in value between $250 and $4,000 and some, such as the Brooke Communications Scholarship, have not yet been applied for.

Nearly 150 separate scholarships are available through the UCC Foundation. Students can now apply for all of them at once by going to www.umpqua.edu/ucc-scholarships.

“The funds from these scholarships are designed to help alleviate the stress associated with paying for the cost of a student’s education and will help recipients receive their degrees,” says Robinson. She will help answer questions regarding the application process for the many scholarships facilitated by the foundation and can be located in the scholarship office in the northeast corner of the Technical Building. Her office phone number is 541-440-7674.

A major factor deciding which students get awarded funds is the personal statement portion of the application. The statement must have 400 to 900 words. Students are advised to include information about hardships overcome, plans to give back to the community and life and career goals. Personal statements are judged on content, persuasiveness, spelling, grammar and neatness.

Applications must be complete, and this can be determined by seeing all green checks and no red x’s on the online form, because the applications won’t be deemed worthy for viewing otherwise. No more than two forms of recommendation will be considered for perusal; any more will be discarded. FAFSA confirmation letters must also be included; however, an award of FAFSA is not a requirement to be eligible for many of the scholarships.

Outside scholarships facilitated by the Foundation Office are listed on the designated page of the UCC website, range up to $3,000 and many are available at this time. Applications and recommendation forms can be printed from the foundation page on UCC’s website. Instructions are included with links for students to gain additional information.

Drop boxes for recommendation forms and outside scholarship applications can be found in the Campus Center near the councilor’s office, in the administrative building and right outside the door of the Scholarship Office. “I am here for the students, and I want them to know that,” says Robinson, who reiterated that any issues may be resolved by speaking with her.