“I wanna be a news anchor. Like a sports anchor analyst. That’s what I wanna do, like a news anchor type,” said Mattox Harrell, a communications major. He said he was unaware of scholarships available to him, a common occurrence among Delta Students.
The Delta College scholarship application opened on Jan. 1 and will close March 2. All students have been notified by Jennifer Dionne, a campus scholarship specialist, via email.
The application is a “one stop shop,” Dionne said. The process includes Skip Logic, a process that helps guide student’s though the survey. It is now easier for students to apply. Skip Logic condenses the requirements of all scholarships available into one application, then alerting students to which ones they qualify for.
As the deadline looms over students, along with upcoming assignments, work, events, etc., it is important to keep these tips, courtesy of Dionne in mind when they find 20 minutes to fill out the application.
- Your EFC number is found on your FAFSA confirmation page.
- Attach a PDF version of your academic history to display the entire record.
- Start your application early enough for letter of recommendations to process and still have time for scholarships requiring extra steps.
Dionne encourages students “to handle the process themselves.” The process does not need parental involvement considering the majority of students should feel empowered enough to better their own futures.
Like many others in her position, first semester student, Mariana Rodriguez is motivated to attend Delta to help better herself financially. She would be interested in applying for scholarships if someone walked her through it.
“[I would use scholarship money] to help me go through the school, like buying books and just paying for classes,” said Rodriguez.
Resources like the E-Services Lab and upcoming scholarship workshops are available to answer additional questions about the application.
Nearly all scholarships are claimed each year. There are roughly 185 scholarships and 340 awarded to students. Certain scholarships help multiple students and others grant only one. Prizes range from $100 to $5,000.
According to Dionne, the majority of scholarships are aimed at the general population of students. Very few scholarships are created strictly for clubs or departments. That being said; nursing, social science, and transfer students have lots of scholarships opportunities available to them.
In recent years, the Anthropology Club has offered a scholarship and a new one has been created to honor former Delta student Teresa Chan, who died in 2018. Scholarships with strict requirements are harder to fill.
“Anything you can do to graduate from school with the least amount of debt possible, I think, is so important, for any student. I think this coming generation life’s just getting more expensive. Education is getting more expensive. I would hate to see students start their life with a hundred thousand dollars of debt. It’s education, it’s worth the time. It’s worth the energy. I would just encourage students to apply. Not only here, anywhere they can. Supplement any way they can,” said Dionne.The next scholarship Workshop will be held in the DeRicco Assessment Center on Feb. 5 and 7. Registration and times can be found in students’ Delta email.