NPC Friends and Family, the non-profit foundation that supports Northland Pioneer College, has over $17,000.00 available in scholarship funding to assist continuing NPC students enrolling at NPC in Fall 2020. Individual awards range from $500.00 to over $1,100.00. Details and full application instructions, including the required cover letter form and tips on writing a strong essay can be found at www.npc.edu/scholarships, using NPC Friends and Family in the keyword line.
Applications will be accepted from Monday, March 2 through Thursday, April 16. All applications must be submitted online per application instructions; no paper applications will be accepted. Students are strongly encouraged to get their applications in early! All students interested in applying for scholarships must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov prior to submitting their scholarship applications. For more information about the FAFSA, students may contact the NPC Financial Aid office at 928-524-7418.
In Spring 2015, the NPC Friends and Family board approved the Fill-the-Gaps Scholarship and the Leg-Up Scholarship, allocating $500.00 for each scholarship to one student at every NPC campus and center. The nine locations include the White Mountain Campus in Show Low, Silver Creek Campus in Snowflake, Painted Desert Campus in Holbrook, Little Colorado Campus in Winslow, Hopi Center in Polacca, Kayenta Center, Springerville-Eager Center, St. Johns Center and Whiteriver Center. The $500.00 Fill-the-Gaps Scholarship supplements the unmet financial needs of students who are eligible for the Federal Pell grant. The $500.00 Leg-Up Scholarship is for students who are ineligible for the Pell. Because one scholarship is awarded at each NPC location, a total of eighteen $500.00 scholarships are available.
The Jon Graff, PhD, Fund continues to provide scholarships every semester for three kinds of NPC student: those who are enrolled in a degree program for university transfer; those enrolled in NPC’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program; and those enrolled in College and Career Prep (CCP) classes, in pursuit of their high school equivalency diploma and an opportunity to take college-level courses. Dr. Graff is a longtime friend and supporter of NPC Friends and Family through his participation in and sponsorship of Pedal the Petrified, the non-competitive bicycle tour of Petrified Forest National Park, which takes place every September to raise money for scholarships. The University Bound, CTE, and CCP scholarships each provide $500.00 to awardees.
Once again, this semester, NPC Friends and Family is pleased to offer the Jeanne Swarthout, Ph.D. Presidential Excellence Scholarship. Funds for this scholarship were raised by the friends of Dr. Swarthout to commemorate her 2018 retirement, and to honor her career in education, and especially her years of dedication to Northland Pioneer College. This prestigious scholarship is for degree-seeking students enrolled in six or more credits during the semester of award, and having a GPA of 3.5 or better at the time of application. It provides $1,000.00 to the awardee.
The Claude Millet Endfield Early Childhood Development Scholarship, another “retirement gift”, was established in honor of NPC’s former Chair of Early Childhood Development (ECD) at the time of her retirement. It provides $500.00 each semester to a student in NPC’s ECD program. Applicants must be enrolled in at least three credit hours during the semester of award and have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better.
The NPC Friends and Family U.S. Military Veterans Scholarship awards $500.00 each semester to one U.S. Veteran, or to a spouse or dependent of a Veteran, who is enrolled in at least six college credits during the semester of award. Prior to applying for this scholarship, interested students should contact NPC’s Veterans’ Administration Certifying Official, Chelsea Hager at 928-524-7469.
The remainder of the scholarships available for Fall 2020 are memorial funds. Charles E. Lisitzky was a longtime resident of Holbrook, Arizona, and an advocate of lifelong education. This $500.00 scholarship was established in his memory by his family to assist Native American students in their pursuit of a college degree. One Lisitzky scholarship is awarded college-wide each semester to an eligible Native American NPC student.
Pres Winslow was a lifelong advocate for at-risk students and an active proponent of post-secondary education. After retiring, Pres moved to Winslow, where he volunteered countless hours assisting students at Winslow Junior High and Winslow High school in preparing for college. He also served on the NPC District Governing Board. Following his untimely death in June 2016, many of Pres’ lifelong friends joined his family in endowing a scholarship in his name. The Pres Winslow Memorial Scholarship is open district-wide to NPC students. One $1,000.00 award is made each semester.
Students enrolling in Firefighter I and II, HazMat for First Responders, or EMT Basic may qualify for the VAL 153 Memorial Scholarship. Valeree Reidhead Claude was a Pinetop firefighter who passed away on duty, and this scholarship honors her memory each year by assisting an NPC student with the tuition and course fees for the aforementioned classes.
NPC Friends and Family Executive Director Betsyann Wilson has made it a personal campaign to teach students how to access and apply for scholarships, not just NPC Friends and Family scholarships, but the hundreds of scholarships that are available for college students. On Friday, February 21, from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., she will be teaching a class on how to seek scholarship opportunities and how to write a competitive scholarship essay. The class is available over the college’s interactive distance learning network at no charge to students, prospective students, and parents across the college service area. No registration is required. Those interested should simply go to their nearest campus and center before 12:00 p.m. to be directed to the classroom. Wilson also assists students in editing their scholarship essays for both technical integrity and content.
Since Fall 2014, NPC Friends and Family has awarded over 275 scholarships to NPC students, making a tremendous difference in their pursuit of a post-secondary education. Over 97% of awardees have either completed an NPC degree or certificate program, or are still enrolled at the college. To learn more about NPC Friends and Family, and how you can help to transform a student’s life, contact Betsyann Wilson at 928-536-6245 or betsy.wilson@npc.edu. You can also make a tax-deductible donation at www.npcfriendsfamily.org.
