Seattle Central’s Scholarship Foundation Hits Record: $400,000
Scholarship recipients from all over the world honored at Seattle Central Community College Foundation’s annual ceremony
SEATTLE – Their stories vary by age, life circumstances and hardships endured. But for the 166 recipients of the 2012-13 Seattle Central Community College Foundation scholarships, there is one common theme: The award money will make all the difference in their pursuits of educational goals.
Matching the against-all-odds stories of many recipients, donor generosity surpassed previous giving despite the economic recession, producing a record $400,000 in scholarship funds. The contributions exceed by $50,000 the amount contributed last year and were given to students ranging in age from 17 to 65.
“This is a joyous occasion; we’re bursting at the seams,” Lauren Guzauskas, associate director of the Seattle Central Community College Foundation told a standing-room-only crowd at the Broadway Performance Hall.
Seattle Central’s Community College Foundation theme was “Turning Dreams into Reality” – an apt description for most awardees.
“I know this help can change people’s lives, and I thank God for this scholarship; God bless SCCC,” said Zuryash Majid, 43, through tears. Majid, an Ethiopian native, immigrated to Seattle years ago, but lost her husband to a heart attack last November. The mother of three, who goes to school as well as working at the Space Needle, received a $3,000 scholarship to pursue her dream of becoming a surgical technician.
Scholarship recipient Krispijn Larrison, 38, of Gig Harbor, said he will be able to complete his Seattle Central studies in graphic design thanks to the scholarship.
“Coming into this program was the best decision I ever made. It takes all the things I’ve always loved – visual communication, photography, art, theater – and brings them all together,” said Larrison, who juggles school with a job as a window display designer. “The scholarship is a huge, huge help to me.”
Another recipient, Jessica Christie, is combining nursing and sign language interpretation, hoping to work in a hospital with value-added skills.
“I’ve always wanted to help people, and SCCC has a really good program,” said Christie, who lives in Seattle, but whose family lived in many other states as her “Air-Force dad” was re-assigned. “But I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the scholarship.”
Seattle Central’s student body president, Najwa Alsheikh, shared her own story of dropping out of school at age 13 before “having an epiphany” that education was the way out of poverty.
“We live in a community where generosity is proven all year long…where people understand that education has the power to change lives, and that we need schools like SCCC,” Alsheikh told the crowd.
Keynote speaker Nate Miles, corporate director of state government affairs for Northwestern U.S. Eli Lilly and Company, gave an inspired speech in which he urged students to give back to the community the help they have received.
“The fact that $400,000 is given out to one school – it’s a huge investment being made in your futures,” Miles said. “You’ve made it now, with a lot of hard work. So you stand for the poor, the elderly, children….the environment, the disenfranchised, the torn up and torn apart. You take this opportunity to pay back those promises (donors have made) to you.”
Contacts
Janet Grimley
Interim Director of Communications
Seattle Central Community College
206-934-5488
janet.grimley@seattlecolleges.edu
Debera Harrell
Communications Specialist
Seattle Central Community College
206-934-3860
Deberaharrell@comcast.net
Web: seattlecolleges.edu