Local scholarships as a resource for college students
IMPERIAL COUNTY — The Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE), through the website FindYourPath.org, offers a variety of scholarships, that help students pay for tuition or significantly reduce the cost of education, according to the website.
The website lists 14 scholarships are currently open to receive applications, among them include the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, Association of California School Administrators Region 18, Imperial Valley Charter Scholarship, MANÁ de Imperial Valley Scholarship, Imperial Valley PEO Reciprocity Scholarship,
American Business Women’s Association Scholarship, ICOE Foundation for Education Scholarship, EDCF 2023 Locher Agricultural Scholarship – Imperial County, Claddagh Club The Imperial Valley Irish American Club Educational Scholarship
2023, Region 18 Association of California School Administrators San Diego County School Boards Association Student Scholarship, Imperial Valley Regional Occupation Program (IVROP) Foundation Scholarship, The Pastel Society of the West Coast Art Scholarship, Anderson Family Foundation Community Service Scholarship, Associated Calexico Teachers (ACT) 2023 Scholarship, and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Scholarship
Program.
Central Union High School Board Trustee Maria Peinado encouraged seniors to apply for academic scholarships.
“There are many scholarships available for them,” Peinado said. “I think it’s very important to share that we have a very generous community when it comes to scholarships.”
“The important thing about scholarships is that it’s free money for college, in other words, they don’t have to pay it back, as opposed to a loan that they might take out to pay for tuition or other college costs,” she said.
Peinado said that despite the amount, at the end of the day, scholarships add up and could be a substantial amount of help to students financially.
“I find students shy away from talking about any hardships that they’ve had and it’s so important for them to be able to tell their story,” Peinado said.
At FindYourPath.org, ICOE describes the College and Career Readiness Initiative (CCRI). The purpose of the CCRI is to promote a college and career-ready culture in Imperial County using a collaborative and comprehensive regional approach, per the website.
“The initiative aims to increase the number of students who are college and career ready at all levels and promote a culture of educational achievement from preschool through college and career,” the site reads.
Some of the partners of
CCRI listed on the website include IVROP, San Diego State University Imperial Valley (SDSU-IV), Imperial Valley College (IVC), and Imperial Valley Strong Workforce Program Consortium.
IVC Communications and Governmental Relations Officer, Elizabeth Espinoza – who is also a Central Union High School District board member with Peinado and others – said scholarships are incredibly important as they help students out of potential barriers that prevent them from completing their education.
“Apply to all the scholarships you can,” Espinoza said she tells students.
“It’s something they’ve (students) earned; its their right to their education,” Espinoza said.