Cerritos College students who were interested in applying for the 2018 spring semester scholarships were able to do so during a scholarship workshop presented by Rachel Samarin, scholarship relations, on Jan. 29.
The Cerritos College Foundation will award over $70,000 in scholarships this spring semester to students.
“I’ve been doing these workshops in partnership with the career center for the last — at least I want to say — five years.” Samarin says.
She adds, “It started just as a way to outreach students to get as much information to their hands as possible, we realized there were a lot of questions about the program a lot of people who didn’t know we had scholarship programs, so really it was an opportunity to inform students about the resources that we have.”
The average awarded scholarship can range from typically $500 all the way up to $3,000.
She says, “I think our scholarships kind of often provide a little cushion, fill in some of the gaps that financial aid doesn’t fill.
“It helps students with additional supplies as well as getting something to put on their resume if they are selected as a recipient in scholarship or transfer applications. Financially though it’s the biggest thing, it can help students tremendously.”
Students who attended the workshop received a list of 39 scholarships, they learned how to begin their application, how to apply and received tips on how to write a personal statement.
Some tips and advice from Samarin would be to get into the habit of applying for scholarships every semester as a Cerritos College student, get it done early and to put effort in to it for it to be better.
“The numbers are not huge; pools of thousands of students do not apply for these scholarships. Do not think you will not be selected,” Samarin says.
Re-entry resource specialist Shannon Estrada works with adult students 25 years and older with a break in their education.
Estrada helps out with questions about the registration process, helps students with resources around campus and has about eight re-entry specific scholarships in the fall.
“These scholarships benefit students because it helps them, sometimes they’re just so low on money,” Estrada says.
She adds, “I see a lot of single mothers, a lot of people that have been laid off you know they’re trying to get into a new career, so sometimes they need that little bit of extra help to be able to stay in school, so I think it’s really important to let them know about things like this.”
Applications can be accessed through www.cerritos.edu/foundationscholarships
Deadline to complete the application for these scholarships is Feb. 26.
