CSM Foundation Provides Scholarships, Opportunities
It wasn’t just one jolly old elf that brought smiles to the faces of College of Southern Maryland students this year, but rather a host of elves working and giving throughout the year to provide a little help and a lot of encouragement to those pursuing their academic and career goals.
For the 2010-11 academic year, the CSM Foundation, the fundraising arm of the college, presented 142 students with more than $170,000 in scholarships.
“This season of giving is an appropriate time to remember and thank our donors who have been giving all year to support our students,” said CSM Director of Development Martina Arnold.
Among the recipients is Rachel Eaby, 20, of White Plains, who received the James C. Mitchell Nursing Scholarship for the last two years. In her third semester of nursing, Eaby has enjoyed her experiences both in the classroom and in clinical settings.
“While the nursing program here is wonderful, when you add up the cost of tuition, textbooks and supplies such as stethoscopes, scrubs and other necessities, it can be quite expensive,” she said at the foundation’s Oct. 24 scholarship reception. “The nursing program takes a great deal of time. I have lecture twice a week as well as clinical which can vary from six to eight hours per day. So between class time and time devoted to studying, I’m not left with much time to work.” She appreciates the help she gets from her parents and the scholarship, she said.
Another nursing student, Stephanie Rivers, 33, of Lexington Park told commissioners at the St. Mary’s County Government Scholarship reception Oct. 19 that she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to personally thank them for their generosity.
In 2007, after the birth of her second son, Rivers decided to begin working toward a degree in nursing–initially taking one class at a time. After she completed the core courses, she petitioned and was accepted into CSM’s nursing program.
“It is not easy doing clinical with a family,” Rivers said of the mandatory full days working in area hospitals alongside registered nurses. Once a week she and her 7-year-old son go to the Lexington Park library together to study. “It is our quality time together,” she said of their routine of quizzing each other with flash cards. “‘What are the signs of a stroke?’ he might ask me,” Rivers said, admitting that he probably doesn’t even know what a stroke is. He is competitive though, she said, of her son counting the number of flash cards each of them correctly answers.
It has been a difficult year academically, she admits, but one that is made easier by the emotional support she gets at home. “I am lucky to have a supportive husband and the financial support from the CSM Foundation,” she said.
St. Mary’s Commissioner Jack Russell told attendees at the Oct. 19 event that he, too, was a scholarship recipient while at the University of Maryland. “The money was great, but more importantly, it was the knowledge that somebody in the community had faith in me.”
It was more than faith in his abilities that drove Daniel Underwood, 52, of Leonardtown back to school for training: it was necessity.
After working in construction for 28 years, Underwood learned he had developed health issues that would prevent him from continuing to work in the strenuous field he loved. He developed a plan that would allow him to work another 15 to 20 years in constructionthis time as a manager.
Underwood admitted that he was intimidated by the thought of returning to school–and that his children thought he was too old for school didn’t help.
On his first day of class he sat behind a computer and didn’t know how to turn it on. “This is my only shot,” said Underwood. “If I go home because I get frustrated, I won’t have any options for my future.”
Underwood persevered. He has learned Auto-Cad 3-D, MS Project and EXCEL, and he types his multi-page research papers using Microsoft Word. Underwood is on track to graduate this spring and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland.
Underwood received a scholarship from Marrick Homes, the grand tournament sponsor of the CSM Foundation Golf Classic held in August. Players and sponsors in the event raised more than $45,000 for scholarships, with Shelby Buckler, 18, of Lusby receiving a scholarship sponsored by the Showplace Arena Scholarship at the event.
Playing volleyball and softball at Patuxent High School, Buckler is continuing her involvement with athletics at CSM while taking general education courses with the plan to transfer to study sports management. “I want to be around sports even if I don’t play professionally,” she said.
Foundation Chair and Executive Vice President of Community Bank of Tri-County Greg Cockerham is an enthusiastic alum of CSM, saying that when he transferred to West Virginia University for his bachelor’s degree he felt CSM had prepared him well.
As a scholarship donor, Cockerham said that it is important to him to give back to the community. He urged scholarship recipients at the Oct. 24 reception to remember “this” feeling and to pass it on to future students once they are established and successful.
Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2010, the foundation manages more than 80 scholarships, adding 13 new scholarships this year alone.
CSM students receiving scholarships, included:
CSM 2010-11 Foundation Scholarship Recipients
Albert L. Elder, Jr. Family Memorial Scholarship
Jeronda Williams
Erin Karnbach
Travis Roberts
Marie Turner Albert L. Elder, Jr. Family Memorial Scholarship
Anna Mae Ziencik Hess Memorial Scholarship
Rebecca Wills
Kelly Bailey
Eileen Thomas
Bill Wood Memorial Scholarship
Sandra Richardson
Brock Nikolas Guerrieri Memorial Scholarship
Ashley Loy
Charles County Technology Council Scholarship
Daniel Russ
Sabeeh Hameed
Charles County Woman’s Club Scholarship
Doris Davis
Chiaramonte Hope Scholarship
Jeanette Owens
Mary Pyles
Keara Mitchell
April Garcia
Doris Davis
Anesha Evans
Nicole Hardesty
Michael Henson
Candice Molock
Jody Purcarey
Furqan Qureshi
Audrey Randall
Melissa Sewell
Shelly Siegel
Michelle Simonds
Teresa Tucker
CSM Foundation – Realize Your Potential
Heather Tolson
Willie McCoy
Kristy Kelly
Diana Benenati
David Burroughs
Alicia Carter
Janita Clayton-Floyd
Angela Faris
Sarah Gesl-Spencer
Kelsey Gieseler
Alisha Hackney
Darryl Johnson
Charlene Jones
Cierra Kennedy
Denise Lacey
Kathleen Moreland
Tiffany Price
Jammie Reedy
Melissa Richardson
Juanette Sullivan
Christopher Tilley
Jennifer Wagner
CSM Foundation Scholarship for Returning Adults
Kurobuboka Tamunoitekena
Margie Hunt
Ellen Scott
Ashley Hopkins
Jennifer Brooks
Mable Clay
Rune Horvik
Kelly Jackson
Brigette Morton
Jennifer Young
Debra L. Wyvill Teacher Education Scholarship
Maggie Quade
Fanny Louise Sullivan Sine Henderson Scholarship
Brigette Morton
Michelle Simonds
Gary Smith Memorial Scholarship
Ashleigh Barnes
Tatiana Mieux
Helen and Henry Lawlor Scholarship
Erica Martin
Helen and Mickey Todd Scholarship
Gabriela Amaya
Ashleigh Barnes
Ashley Lagana
Jack Love Sprague Scholarship
Pamela Sheridan
James Mitchell Nursing Scholarship
Rachel Eaby
Kimberly Hemsley
Erica Rancore
Jane Hale Sypher Scholarship
Tikisha Hall
L.K. Farrall III Memorial Scholarship
Heather Tolson
La Plata Lions Club/Milton M. Somers Scholarship
Audrey Moreland
Sarah Gesl-Spencer
LaVerda Francis and Richard Blair Scholarship
Jeanette Owens
Tara Puliatti
Maurice J. McDonough Scholarship Endowment
Stephanie Hicks
Neale Chaney Slater Memorial Scholarship
Lenyk Scott
Elizabeth Jenkins
Nu Zeta Omega Scholarship
Kathleen Moreland
Brittany Price
Patty Schwier and Norma LaFleur Scholarship
Patrice Robinson
Prince Frederick Campus Student Association Scholarship
Jeanette Owens
Rebekah Compton Boone and Vivian Bounds Edelen Scholarship
Ava Lawson
Shani-Jinaki Whipple Endowed Scholarship
Charlotte Mandragos
Sidney Waugh Memorial Scholarship
Alexander Barnett
Southern Maryland Women’s League Scholarship
Rebecca Wills
St. Mary’s County Government Scholarship
Rosalynn Adams
Destiny Bell
Diana Benenati
Alicia Carter
Angela Faris
Ashley Hopkins
Cierra Kennedy
Csilla Nagy
Ebony Proctor
Jennifer Reese
Stephanie Rivers
Lenyk Scott
Stephanie Scott
Stefanie Shelton
Kurobuboka Tamunoitekena
Brian Taylor
Daniel Underwood
Malgorzata Wagner
Debra Williams
Tony Hungerford Memorial Scholarship
Chelsey Proctor
Tri-County 40&8 Scholarship
Miriam Aguilar Rincon
Veterans Educational Endowed Scholarship
Michael Jones
Walter B. Grove II Memorial Scholarship
India Cox
Kodie Hayes
Chelsey Proctor
Wigberto “Willie” Martinez, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
Lisa Muncey
Tenisha Evans
Kurobuboka Tamunoitekena