The Wilson Community College Foundation awards scholarships to students every year, beginning in the fall semester. Before the pandemic, we hosted a Scholarship Awards Ceremony every year where donors, student recipients, and Foundation Board members could celebrate together in person.
This year, just like last year, we had to cancel the ceremony since social distancing is a little tricky when you have 200 or more people gathered in one room. But that doesn’t mean our students and our donors weren’t celebrated. And we still awarded scholarships. In fact, we are awarding a record number of scholarships this year — all because of our very generous donors.
Just for the fall semester alone, we gave out a little over $77,000 in scholarship funds to our students. Collectively, that means $154,000 for this school year alone. Think about that number for a minute — $154,000 awarded at your local community college. And that was distributed among 136 very deserving students this year.
For some of our students, this money means they’re not having to choose between getting an education or paying the rent or car payment. Knowing that someone is invested in their education means the world, and it’s a huge motivator. It’s truly life changing for our students.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to meet these students and hear their stories. They’ve shared so many heartfelt “thank yous” and have written letters to our donors. I want to share with you just some of the things they’ve said or written:
“Donors like you make quality education possible, and I can only hope to make half the impact on a person’s life as you have mine.”
“This scholarship is helping me complete my degree to become a teacher for this county. I can’t wait to make all of you proud!”
“As a single mom, being able to continue my education means so much to me. I am beyond grateful for opportunity you have given me.”
“Becoming a nurse has always been a dream of mine, and this scholarship is helping me reach that dream.”
“This scholarship means so much to my family. Nursing school, along with a full-time job, and being a mother and a wife, has not been easy. Receiving this scholarship lifted a burden for me and helped me to focus more on my education.”
“My dreams of becoming the first person in my family to attend college would not be possible without the generosity of kind and caring people like you. I am truly grateful.”
“Thanks for believing in my future. If it wasn’t for people like you, people like me wouldn’t be here.”
“I will make you proud.”
Those are just a few small glimpses into the great impact our donors make. They’re the reason we’re awarding more scholarships than ever before. Many of our donors have established endowments, meaning $10,000 or more, that ensure ongoing annual scholarships in perpetuity. And we also have donors who provide annual scholarships that are not funded through an endowment. Some are individuals or families, and some are businesses and organizations. No matter how they donate, they all have one shared vision: to financially support students and change their lives.
Scholarships range anywhere from $150 to upwards of $7,000 per student. No matter the amount, any financial support for our students goes a long way. It’s one of the best investments anyone can make. After all, WCC students are our community.
For more information about the Foundation, contact me at jgriffin@wilsoncc.edu or 252-246-1271. You can also visit the Foundation website for even more information about how you can get involved. #WilsonCC We make Wilson work.
What’s Happening
- NOW – Registration for Winter Term and Spring Semester
- December 1 – Winter Term Begins
- December 14 – Ribbon Cutting for A. Dwight Johnson Learning Resource Center
- December 16 – BLET Graduation Ceremony