The College of Southern Maryland Foundation and the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Foundation have teamed up to give a financial boost to 49 current and future CSM college students.
At a scholarship awards reception at the Jaycees Hall in Waldorf on May 3, close to $80,000 in scholarships was awarded. Now in its 17th year, the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Foundation has awarded 453 Charles County students with nearly $613,000, with the CSM Foundation matching the contribution dollar for dollar.
“We work very hard at staying affordable,” said CSM President Dr. Bradley Gottfried. “But for many, college is a difficult expense to manage. That’s why our CSM Foundation works very hard to raise money for scholarships and partnership programs like this one with the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Foundation.”
Gottfried referred to a recent report about a record amount of debt being shouldered by college students in 2017. Those “who borrowed to finance their degrees will leave college with a record level of debt — $37,172 per student on average,” he said. “This is why CSM is taking great strides to educate our students and their parents or families about the opportunity and wise decision to save more than $29,000 by starting here at CSM for your freshmen and sophomore years.”
“Providing scholarships is not about paying for courses, it is about investing in you and hoping that you use these opportunities wisely to have a profound impact on tomorrow and on our community’s future,” E. Rané Franklin, chair of the CSM Foundation Board of Directors, said to the students. “We want to help our students obtain a college education and to do so without accumulating thousands of dollars of debt.”
A student speaker at the event, Katelyn Gilroy, is a two-time recipient of the Greater Waldorf Jaycees and CSM Foundation Scholarship. She spoke about the impact the scholarship had on her ability to afford her education.
“When I first was awarded this scholarship I was a senior in high school, ambitious to graduate and begin taking my prerequisites at CSM in order to petition and be accepted into the Nursing program and pursue my career as a registered nurse,” Gilroy said. “However, I was worried about having to take out loans in order to afford my classes. Well, that all changed when I got my acceptance letter stating that I had been chosen as one of the Jaycees scholarship winners.
“You see, I stand before you today, proud to say that I am now a sophomore at the College of Southern Maryland where I am in the nursing program and will be finishing my first semester next week,” she said. Gilroy plans to transfer to the University of Maryland for her bachelor’s degree and then attend Stevenson University for her master’s.
The scholarship is awarded to graduating high school seniors from Charles County high schools who plan to attend CSM. Eligibility is based on the community service and academic achievement of the applicant. Students’ scholarship may be renewed for a second year.
The 2017-2018 scholarship recipients are: Caitlin Addison, Kayliyah Ball, Megan Caudle, Ana Chavez, Jordin Dixson, Kiarah Dudley, Meeklyn Duhon, Brittanie Durham, Ashley Fenton, Morgan Hanson, Noah Jenkins, Dawson Jewell, Ankit Lohani, Jean Luc Montilla, Seth Morrison, Jada Proctor, Jenna Purdy, Kelley Raum, Tashauna Royster, Tristan Sarabia, Savannah Simmons, Rachel Sweeney, Tai Talbot, Darria Thomas, Leo Watson and Quiana Willett.
The renewed scholarship recipients are: Suha Ansari, Patricia Atkinson, Catherine Co, Alyssa Danner, Camille De Jesus, Joshua Edwards, Matthew Eppley, Joseph Garrow, Kara Harley, Branden Herscher, Clifford Hughes III, Kayla Johnson, Elizabeth Kennedy, Sandra Lopez, Briana Puffenbarger, Seth Rison, Angela Santos, William Slagle, Zavier Taylor, Leeadrian Tengco, Anttonia Vance, Eden Wagner and James Weeks.
To view photos from the May 3 event, visit http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/17jayceescholars.
For information on scholarships at CSM, visit http://www.csmd.edu/costs-aid/credit-costs-aid/scholarships-financial-aid/scholarships/scholarship-finder/. Consideration deadline is May 31 for fall semester scholarships. For information on donating toward scholarships at CSM, visit http://foundation.csmd.edu/giving/index.html.