Overcoming the Odds: The Unique Impact of Scholarships for Community College Students

3 Big Takeaways from this episode:

1. Community college students often face different financial barriers to education than traditional university students: If we compare the tuition cost alone, it's easy to see why university students benefit from scholarships to save on a tuition that could reach six figures over four years - while affordability is built into the community college model. However, generally speaking, the demographics of community college students are much different than university students: often these individuals are already employed, juggling full-time careers with continuing education. They're often raising families, financially supporting a household while also covering the cost of things like childcare.
2. A debt-free education can make a life-changing difference: For a university student, a scholarship might be the difference between graduating with or without student debt. For a community college student, a scholarship might be the difference between them having to quit school altogether and being able to get a degree that will jumpstart a better career for themselves and their family. Hear Maria Fernanda share some inspiring stories of students she's interviewed on the IOScholarships Superheroes Podcast who have experienced the life-changing benefit of a scholarship.
3. We need to change the misconceptions about who scholarships are for and increase awareness about opportunities for community college students: The SME Education Foundation is committed to increasing the number of diverse individuals applying for and receiving scholarships for engineering and manufacturing programs. IOScholarships exists to provide scholarship and internship resources for underrepresented individuals. Both of these organizations are spearheading the work we should all be part of - advocating for community college education and increasing awareness about the scholarships available for these programs.