EHHS Scholarships 101 with Laura Riddle

More than ever, student financial assistance plays an important role in student success. We are very fortunate in the College of Education, Health and Human Services to have committed donors who value and support that success. Many of our donors are alumni who understand the difference higher education can make to a person and the community in which they live and work. This past year has seen an outpouring of goodwill that has assisted so many, and provided for future support as well.

As EHHS looked to the future and the needs of our students, we developed an electronic application process that our students can access through the EHHS student portal. This change brought us into the 21st century in terms of meeting students where they are. The days of paper applications that need to be physically delivered to the college are over. Now from the comfort of their dorm rooms or homes, they can apply for aid.  Our system is more in line with the university scholarship process, which creates continuity for students. 

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This electronic scholarship application process not only matches students to available opportunities, but also allows for uploading the necessary application documents. After logging into the EHHS student portal and clicking on “Scholarships,” students will see those funds for which they are eligible to apply. Most require an essay and provide a prompt that guides the essay response. One of the questions I am asked is “can I use the same essay to apply for all the scholarships?”  My advice is always that it is advantageous to create an essay template, but it should be edited to meet the expectation of the prompt. Our scholarship committee consists of faculty and staff who read the essays and often read several submitted by the same student.

The committee members are volunteers from the college who are interested in helping students. They read many compelling essays and are often moved by the stories our students tell. The truth is that the College of EHHS, by its very definition, is composed of helpers. Our programs graduate individuals who are going into primarily service-oriented careers: counselors, teachers, dietitians, community health professionals to name a few. All are areas that are in-service to others. So, it makes sense that by extension, our faculty and staff want to help everyone!

For those who are fortunate enough to be chosen as an EHHS scholarship recipient, students are informed by high-importance email (!), which is now the official method of communication for the university. Our goal is to inform students prior to the end of the semester to allow for future financial planning on the part of the student. The name of the scholarship will be in the subject line, and the email provides award amounts and information about possible next steps. 

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Many of the donor-sponsored scholarships require a Student Online Donor Acknowledgement (SODA). This is a thank you that will be sent to the donor acknowledging the award and letting them know a little bit about the student receiving their scholarship. Funds will not be disbursed to a bursar account until the SODA is completed. Once the bursar bills are viewable, be sure to check for the distribution of your funds. If there are problems, please refer to the individual who sent the initial award email for assistance.

It is my pleasure to hear from students who have been helped; I have many lovely thank you notes from grateful students who did not have a SODA requirement, yet felt compelled to be thankful. The college has been incredibly responsive to the needs of its students during the 2020 academic year, and I am proud to be a part of that commitment to being student-centered.

I have been working in the College of Education, Health and Human Services for almost 20 years and during that time have had a variety of roles. I began my career as the receptionist in the Vacca Office of Student Services and quickly learned how vital student services are to successful graduates. However, no role has been as rewarding as assisting the college in providing scholarships to our students.