Press Releases
Helping Students Receive Subsidies
The Foundation offeres different ways to aid students with the monetary side of going to school.Elva Zavala The Fullerton College Foundation is able to help students in need of financial aid through various scholarship opportunities. The FC Foundation offers scholarships that range from $60 to $3000. Dr. H. Lynn Sheller, the former president of FC, established the foundation in '59. The Foundation accepts grants, gifts and donations from individuals and corporations to help students with their academic goals. According to Michelle Wulfestieg, the Foundation's executive director, the Foundation gives out thousands of dollars in scholarships every year. Thus far, it has given out $2 million in scholarships since it was established. "The Foundation awarded $175 thousand dollars in scholarships for the 2005- 2006 year," she said. "The money is here. Students can come into the office to look through the available scholarships. "The Foundation has nearly 200 scholarship funds each with a minimum principal of $1000. However, according to Wulfestieg, the scholarships are "underutilized." "This semester we have [fewer than] 100 applications," she explained. "We would love to see more applications come in." She stated that students are not taking advantage of the available scholarships because many don't know about them or about how easy it is to apply. Some students not fluent in English are deterred from applying, thinking that it is too hard or that they might not qualify. "There are many different scholarships with different criteria. And if students come in, they will be helped with the application process," Wulfestieg concluded. There are three scholarships applications available every year from January through March. They are for transferring or graduating students, continuing students and for those who received the Faye and Lena Reynolds scholarship. Wulfestieg stressed how helpful the money received from the scholarships could be for students and pointed out that some students keep coming back every year to apply. "We want them to come in and apply. We encourage them to come in," she said. All students are encouraged to apply, but according to the application requirements, the most common criteria are that students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Must be a full-time student with 12 units or more and will have completed 24 units at Fullerton College. Even though, some students might not qualify for these requirements, "there are other scholarships with criteria to match most everyone. Some of them only require a GPA of 2.0. We have so many," Wulfestieg said. "It's very easy to apply. If you apply for a scholarship, chances are you are going to get it." |