Eight of 16 recipients at the Fall 2021 Scholarship Luncheon, from left, Carra Webster, Jordan Bowman, Seth Heatherly, Aaliyah Sandoval, Anna Yarrow, Maria Blair, Jimmy Wheeler and Candace Webster. Photo by Sarah Jimenez
UNM-LA News:
UNM-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) presented scholarships to a group of exemplary students Oct. 14 at its Fall 2021 Scholarship Luncheon.
Sixteen students received scholarships and several of them received more than one scholarship.
Among the scholarship recipients were mother and daughter Carra and Candace Webster.
“Being awarded a scholarship is such an honor, but it is truly a blessing that my daughter and I were awarded scholarships on the same day,” Carra Webster said. “Not only do these funds help us in achieving the goal of obtaining our respective degrees, but we are able to add one more way a mother and daughter can bond! It is our hope that we can inspire others just like us. It is never too late (or too early) to achieve your dreams! We are beyond grateful for the staff at UNM-LA who constantly push us to be our best and it is so incredibly humbling to see that our work does not go unnoticed.”
2021 Scholarship Recipients:
- The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Scholarship: Carra Webster
- UNM-LA Start Here Scholarship: Luke Rainey; Maria Blair
- Benito Garcia Memorial Scholarship: Paul Alcazar
- Agnes Finnie-Grotto Memorial Endowment: Maria Blair
- Joe and Stella Martinez Memorial Endowment: Cadence Webster; Seth Heatherly
- High Achiever Incentive Scholarship: Jimmy Wheeler
- Jim Sagel Memorial Endowment: Natalia Maez
- HED Incentive to Complete Scholarship: Aaliyah Sandoval
- Legislative Endowment: Felicity Ferrell
- Española Women’s Club Endowment: Felicity Ferrell
- The Los Alamos Public Safety Association Scholarship: Eric Giron; Anna Yarrow
- Alice A. Armstrong Memorial Endowment: Jenee Montoya
- Applied Technology Native American Scholarship: Jimmy Wheeler; Aiyana Gipson
- Graduation Project: Jordan Bowman; Kristy Ortega
“I would like to offer you my most sincere congratulations for taking this step to invest in your future and for the scholarships you have earned this year,” UNM-LA Chancellor Dr. Cynthia Rooney said at the award ceremony. “We are so proud to have such an incredible group continue their education in Los Alamos thus growing, developing, and improving the human capital of our community.”
These local scholarships are in addition to various state scholarship opportunities such as the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship and the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship. UNM-LA coordinates with scholarship donors to offer scholarships to help students bridge the gaps of tuition and fees. Every year, more UNM-LA students can follow their dreams by achieving their academic goals, with the help scholarships provide to fund their education.
“UNM-LA is incredibly grateful to the people and organizations that have donated money to allow us to provide scholarships to these extraordinary and hardworking students,” Rooney said.
In the past 10 years, UNM-LA’s scholarship program has awarded more than $500 million to its students.
The UNM-LA Start Here Scholarship is open to incoming first-time students to provide financial assistance with educational costs for the upcoming school year. The $500 scholarship is applied towards educational expenses including tuition and fees, books, course materials, or technology. This scholarship is designed to create further incentives for students to start their education journey with UNM-LA to benefit from quality instruction, individualized support, and affordable tuition before transferring to a 4-year university.
In 2019 UNM-LA initiated the High Achiever Incentive Scholarship of $1,000 for incoming students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher. The High Achiever Scholarship gives financial assistance to students enrolled in an Associate of Science Degree in Computer Science, Education, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Science, Pre-Professional Health Sciences, Pre-Engineering, Science, or an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Information Technology with Cybersecurity at UNM-LA.
The Graduation Project seeks to encourage former students to return to school to finish their degrees. Many students leave their university studies without a degree due to financial reasons, as well as a lack of institutional support and difficulty enrolling in the classes needed to graduate. UNM-LA is addressing these challenges through personalized outreach to eligible students, dedicated advisement services throughout their time at the college, individualized financial aid and scholarships, free tutoring, and internship opportunities, and career planning services.
The Los Alamos Public Safety Association Scholarship is offered by the Los Alamos Public Safety Association for students enrolled in a Medical Services degree program at UNM- Los Alamos. The amount of the scholarship is $500 for the fall semester.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has helped women pursue their dreams by helping to fund their education for more than 130 years. The Los Alamos Branch of AAUW offers a scholarship of $1000 to a woman who is a non-traditional student with financial needs. It is intended to help the student finish her degree or certificate. It is offered to a woman enrolled in any degree-seeking program at UNM-Los Alamos.
For a scholarship application or more information about eligibility for scholarships at UNM-LA, visit losalamos.unm.edu/students/financial-aid/scholarships.html.
UNM-Los Alamos is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs, and lifelong learning opportunities. More information about UNM-Los Alamos is available at losalamos.unm.edu.
