Category: Financial Aid

SC4 Foundation supports students with more than $100,000 in new scholarships

The St. Clair County Community College Foundation (SC4F) recently approved $100,500 in new scholarships for the upcoming 2019-20 academic year. Students pursuing programs in all fields of study at the college may benefit from the scholarships, especially those in health sciences.

“We are grateful to the SC4 Foundation and its continued assistance in helping to maximize student success at SC4,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah A. Snyder. “With an aging population and health-related job projections showing immense growth in the coming years, health care professionals are more in demand than ever. We have a long history of preparing tomorrow’s health care leaders, and support for our students and college helps us tremendously.”

SC4 grad succeeds with help from Community Foundation’s Complete Your Degree Program

The Complete Your Degree program is celebrating the graduation of its first class of students.

“My time at SC4 in the CYD program has helped me tremendously financially, academically and emotionally to transfer to a university,” said CYD recipient Brittany Simpson. “Being at SC4 and in the program helped me save money because I got to live at home and work while the program covered my tuition.”

Simpson and six of her Marine City High School classmates were accepted into the CYD program when it first launched in the fall of 2017. This is thanks to the generous support of the Alexander & Celestine Lamere Fund.

SC4’s Jo Cassar receives Michigan Student Financial Aid Association Lifetime Achievement Award

St. Clair County Community College’s Director of Financial Assistance and Services Jo Cassar was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Student Financial Aid Association.

Cassar is only the 14th person among all colleges and universities in Michigan to receive this prestigious recognition since it was first awarded in 1985. With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, she is known as a leader among financial aid professionals in the state and across the country.

“We are so proud to have Jo on our team,” said Vice President of Student Services Pete Lacey. “After joining SC4 in 2001, Jo has helped improve college access for thousands of students and families by sharing her knowledge and expertise. Congratulations to her on this outstanding and well-deserved honor.”

SC4 student Kristyn Franzel named Michigan’s 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar

St. Clair County Community College student Kristyn Franzel has been named Michigan’s 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.

New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar is selected from each state.

The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

“We congratulate Kristyn Franzel for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation and the AACC to recognize her outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for two-year college students to succeed and for putting college completion within reach.”

The New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars will be recognized at Phi Theta Kappa’s Presidents Breakfast in Orlando, Florida, on April 15 during the AACC Convention.

“I am beyond blessed for this opportunity and to be bestowed the honor of New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar,” Franzel said. “St. Clair County Community College and Phi Theta Kappa have held such an important place in my life and being affiliated with them will be crucial to my success in the future.”

A Sandusky High School graduate and Clyde, Michigan, resident, Franzel will soon graduate from SC4 with an Associate of Science degree and has plans to transfer to Oakland University to pursue a mathematics degree with a specialization in secondary education.

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. Learn more at ptk.org.