By Seth Boyum
Graphics Manager
seth.boyum1323@mb.rctc.edu
Since 1961, the RCTC Foundation has worked to provide students with an array of scholarships.
The qualifications for these range from obscure to basic, but many students have benefited.
“There are a lot of different ones for lots of different majors, and there are some that it doesn’t matter what major you are,” said Kristian Kennedy, a three-year RCTC student who received a scholarship through the program.
Kennedy’s scholarship was tailored for her major in Liberal Arts.
“I just applied through the portal last spring,” Kennedy said about the registration process. “It’s a general application, and then you just go through and select the ones that apply to you. And then I just got chosen and got an email saying that I had received the scholarship.”
Some applications are more detailed, though.
“Some of them you have to write short essays, and some of them, you don’t,” Kennedy recalled. “Little paragraphs for the most part. No five-page anythings. Each application is good for a year when reapplication is needed.”
Registration isn’t the end of the process, though.
“There was a reception Û an awards ceremony Û and you have to go, and you have to bring a letter to say thank you to the host family that gave the money in the first place.” Kennedy said. “And then they call your name and you get a packet and then you give them your thank-you letter. And the money just gets deposited ÷ And then we wrote another thank-you letter halfway through the semester. It was due in November.”
Kennedy feels that the Foundation’s program has helped her in her college career.
“I think I would’ve been able to pay for college either way, but I would’ve had to take out loans or something like that,” she said. “It definitely made things less stressful, and I don’t have to work as much so I can focus on school and stuff like that.”
When asked if she would recommend applying to the RCTC Foundation to other students, Kennedy said: “Yeah, for sure. It’s not too hard to go in and apply, and it’s online. And they always have some scholarships that people don’t apply for ÷ And they always give them out if someone applies, and they’re the only ones that apply.”
Kennedy will graduate this spring with an associate degree in Liberal Arts and no student loans. She is applying for an RCTC Foundation scholarship that will transfer with her, where she’ll take a major in biology.
Applications for RCTC Foundation this school year will be accepted until Feb. 10. Information about the RCTC Foundation can be found online at www.rctc.edu/foundation. The Foundation can be emailed at foundation@rctc.edu.