100 graduating high school seniors from 14 schools in the greater Chattanooga area were awarded $180,000 in college scholarships this week through the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga (CFGC).
Ranging from $500 to $3,000, the 165 scholarships are both need and merit-based. Some of the awarded scholarships are managed, funded and awarded by CFGC on behalf of private entities and other organizations, while many are funded directly through the CFGC’s own Together We Can scholarship fund.
“Established in 1992 to provide financial aid for any City of Chattanooga high school student with sufficient financial need, the Together We Can scholarship fund alone has supported more than 1600 area students over the past 23 years,” CFGC Director of Scholarships Rebecca Suttles said.
With each high school dropout costing the county around $400,000, helping local students create a viable pathway to higher education is a key part of CFGC’s mission.
Of the students who receive college scholarships through CFGC, 70 percent attain their degrees: a success rate 22 percent higher than the 47.9 percent state average.
“Our goal is to provide a helping hand to every student who wants to attend college,” said Ms. Suttles. “While most of the scholarships Community Foundation manages and awards are open to all students across Hamilton County, many of them help close the funding gap for students who may be the first in their family to go to university."
While this years’ class of scholarship recipients have yet to experience college, the Community Foundation has achieved extremely positive results in prior classes, according to Foundation President Pete Cooper. “Getting to college is the first milestone. Successfully completing college is another,” Cooper said. “In many ways our involvement in helping make a college education accessible for any child is just the beginning.”
“That’s one of the things Community Foundation does differently. Beyond providing financial aid in the form of a scholarship, we also provides a network of resources and support to help students successfully manage the transition from high school to college,” Mr. Cooper said. “When we help one student make it through college, we’re helping that student’s entire family.”
Information about scholarships available through the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, along with requirements and applications can be found at CFGC.org.