This scholarship is up for grabs

Finding money for college is stressful for any student. With rising tuition rates, financial hardship can be a barrier for those who are planning to attend a community college or university.

For several years now, UW Tacoma has been offering A ‘Next Steps’ scholarship to seven qualified students from several community colleges in the south Puget Sound area. Pierce College is one of them.

Cheryl Batschi, assistant to Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom president, said the college picks three qualified students from campus that have turned in applications to UW. UW then select who they want to award from those choices. “We don’t do the actual choosing,” Batschi said.

There may be some exceptions made if the GPA requirement is not at the 3.5 or higher mark, but those students must have a demonstrated improvement in classroom work and have detailed involvement in extracurricular activities and leadership to still be eligible.

Finalists are interviewed by the UW Tacoma Next Step Scholars Selection Committee. Batschi said the seven scholarships awarded to the community college students can be worth up to $12,000 for two years.

Applications can be found through the UW Tacoma website at tinyurl.com/uwnextstep. The deadline to turn in applications is April 6.

Three final applications will be forwarded to UW Tacoma April 13 and the winner will be notified by May 11. The recipient of this scholarship will be recognized at an awards ceremony held on June 6, Batschi said. Winners of the Next Step Scholarship must inform UW Tacoma of their intention to accept or decline the award in writing by returning an award acceptance form within three weeks of receiving.

Interested in this scholarship? Email Batschi at [email protected]. or UW Tacoma at https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/node/22177.

Eligibility criteria for the scholarship:

• A 3.5 or higher Cumulative GPA (your overall college GPA, not your quarterly GPA)
• Strength of coursework
• Writing ability and personal statement
• Honor’s program participation, leadership. Community service is recommended but faculty recommendations are required.
• Students who apply for this scholarship must have two letters of recommendation from faculty that have direct academic contact with the student and who can evaluate the applicant’s classroom experience and other academic achievements