For so many university students, scholarships represent the difference between "some college" and earning a degree.
This past year, 255 students received 335 scholarships through SSU¹s University Scholarship Program, totaling nearly $300,000 in awards.
The 2011 Scholarship Luncheon gave student scholarship recipients the opportunity to meet and personally thank the donors supporting their education.
"I can¹t help but express my thanks to all of you. In a lot of ways, I¹d like to call you donors, but I¹d also like to call you investors," said recipient Travis Pappa, in a brief thank-you speech to the room. "I¹d like to thank you for your investment in all the students here, and especially for your investment in me."
The majority of awards focus on recognizing students with exemplary academics or financial need, many other awards have very specific prerequisites, acknowledging applicants who, for example, are also single parents, of a particular heritage, or come from a particular hometown. Awards ranged in size from $250 to as large as $3,750 for the academic year.
University scholarship applications for the Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 academic year are now available online. All degree program students planning to attend as a full-time student for the 2012/2013 academic year with a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA are eligible to apply.
To begin the process, visit http://www.sonoma.edu/scholarship/application.shtml and complete the online application.
Deadline to apply is January 17, 2012. Application must either be received in person in Stevenson 1050 by 4:30 p.m., or postmarked by the due date.
For further information, contact the Scholarship Office at 707.664.2261 or e-mail scholarships@sonoma.edu.