One application can yield multiple scholarships

For decades, Palo Alto College has made efforts to ensure all students have the ability to continue their education and eliminate many obstacles that might prevent students from earning their degree. Along with federal financial aid and grants, scholarships provide another opportunity to pay for college and alleviate stress for our students.

At the College, the process of applying for multiple scholarship opportunities has been made simple and quick in the form of a single application – the Alamo Colleges Foundation Student Scholarship application.

"There are scholarships for everyone," said Leticia Inocencio, scholarship and alumni coordinator. "You don't have to have a stellar GPA to apply either. There are scholarships for (all students including) some scholarships for part-time students."

The Alamo Colleges Foundation Student Scholarship has an online application that opens in early January, with priority deadlines in late March and a final deadline in September. Each application goes through a judging process where it is scored and awarded based on the score of the application.

Currently, there are 42 Palo Alto College-specific scholarships that Inocencio oversees, but there are also scholarships that can be awarded to students across the Alamo Colleges District. Though scholarship amounts vary, Palo Alto College awarded approximately $360,000 last year to enrolled students.

"I tell students they won't know until they apply," said Inocencio. "A lot of the first-time students who complete the application are surprised when they receive an email notifying them that they've been selected for a scholarship."

According to Inocencio, applying early means a higher chance of receiving a scholarship award, but any student who applies by the September deadline still has a chance at many scholarships that have not been awarded the first time around. There are also other avenues in which students can find scholarship opportunities like the College's website or contacting Inocencio directly.

Cassandra Davis, who is studying history at Palo Alto College, is one of those students who took the extra initiative and applied to a few extra scholarships, receiving two of them. Davis said applying for scholarships isn't difficult, and most scholarships consist of a simple application and a short essay. Some students might feel intimidated by the idea of the application process, but it never hurts to apply.

"It's kind of like buying a lottery ticket. You never know if you win if you don't buy one," said Inocencio.

The final deadline to apply for the Alamo Colleges Foundation Scholarship is Sunday, Sept. 8. To apply, or for more information on scholarships offered at Palo Alto College, visit alamo.edu/pac/scholarships.