GCC accepting applications for All-USA Academic Team

Dear Students,

Germanna Community College is seeking outstanding student leaders from our college to apply for the All-USA Community College Academic Team and the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Programs sponsored by USA TODAY, Follett Higher Education Group, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, AACC and Phi Theta Kappa. Recipients will be awarded nearly $400,000 in scholarships, will be featured in USA TODAY, and will be recognized at AACC’s Convention in Chicago, IL in April. We have the opportunity to nominate up to two students per campus to participate in this competition, and our college has the opportunity to receive national press recognition should one of our nominees be identified as a scholar.
In addition to recognition by USA TODAY, Follett, and Coca-Cola, nominees to these programs are recognized in All-State Academic Team programs held in 38 states. All-State Team programs may offer students academic scholarships, stipends, newspaper coverage, medallions and/or certificates. By nominating students to the All-USA Community College Academic Team national program, we are able to provide additional scholarship opportunities for nominees to which they would otherwise not have access.
At this time, we are seeking qualified applications. In selecting nominees to represent our institution, we ask you to consider the eligibility criteria to determine if you might be a good fit for the scholarship. The scholarships look to award students with outstanding academic rigor and grade point averages; participation in honors programs; awards, honors, and recognition for academic achievement, and service to the college and community.
In addition, the focal point of the application is the essay. This should center around one endeavor undertaken by the student that utilized their community college education to improve their respective community or college. Judges look for innovative, creative, original and lasting achievements or undertakings.
For more information about the scholarships available, or to apply, please visit https://www.ptk.org/Scholarships/BachelorsDegreeScholarships/All-USACommunityCollegeAcademicTeam.aspx.
Preliminary applications (with at least the first 6 tabs completed) must be submitted no later than Monday, November 2, 2015. After all applications have been received, applicants selected as one of the four Germanna nominees will be notified.
Completed final applications (all tabs completed including Essays and Recommender Assessments) by the selected nominees must be completed and submitted to PTK by Monday November 30, 2015.

Sincerely,


Rebecca Morris
rmorris@germanna.edu

Apply for PTK All USA and Coca-Cola academic team scholarships now

Germanna Community College will continue its involvement with the All-USA Community College Academic Team and the Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team programs in 2015. 

Germanna student Stefano Sarris was selected as a 2014
 Phi Theta Kappa All-Virginia Academic Team member and
 was named a Coca-Cola Silver Scholar and 
All-USA Community College Academic Team member.

The collaboration of USA Today, the Follett Higher Education Group, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, AACC and Phi Theta Kappa will lead to students being featured in an April issue of USA Today and the awarding of nearly $350,000 in scholarships to outstanding community college students.  We have the opportunity to nominate up to two students per campus to participate in this competition, and our college has the opportunity to receive national press recognition should one of our nominees be identified as a scholar.   

In addition to recognition by USA Today, Follett, and Coca-Cola, nominees to these programs are recognized in All-State Academic Team programs held in 38 states. All-State Team programs may offer students academic scholarships, stipends, newspaper coverage, medallions and/or certificates. By nominating students to the All-USA Community College Academic Team national program, we are able to provide additional scholarship opportunities for nominees to which they would otherwise not have access. 

At this time, we are seeking qualified applicants.   In selecting nominees to represent our institution, we ask you to consider the eligibility criteria to determine if you might be a good fit for the scholarship.  The scholarships look to award students with outstanding academic rigor and grade point averages; participation in honors programs; awards, honors, and recognition for academic achievement, and service to the college and community.
In addition, the focal point of the application is the essay. This should center around one endeavor undertaken by the student that utilized their community college education to improve their respective community or college.  Judges look for innovative, creative, original and lasting achievements or undertakings.
For more information about the scholarships available, or to apply, please visit http://www.ptk.org/become-a-member/scholarships/academic-teams. 
Preliminary applications must be submitted no later than November 4, 2014. 
For more information, contact Becky Morris at rmorris@germanna.edu

Potomac Health Foundation Fellows program supports health sciences students

The deadline for applications to the Potomac Health Foundation Fellows program has been extended to Aug. 25.

The core mission of this scholarship program is to help promising, second-year, full-time associate degree health sciences students who attend Germanna or Northern Virginia Community College pursue their academic goals and strengthen their leadership skills. In addition to receiving full tuition, the Fellows participate in a unique curriculum of activities designed to expand their community involvement and cultivate a strong foundation for a successful future.

Applicants must excel academically, exhibit exceptional leadership potential, participate in community service activities and demonstrate financial need. The applicant must be a US citizen and reside in the specific zip codes served by the Potomac Health Foundation (see below).

Ten students will be designated as Potomac Health Foundation Fellows. They will receive an award of $6,000 to support tuition, books, fees and reasonable expenses such as clinical supplies inherent to the healthcare field. In addition, if the Fellows have successfully met the program requirements during the academic year, they are eligible to apply for a summer stipend of $3,000 to support a 9-week work internship or community service project.

The Potomac Health Foundation Fellows will be selected in the spring prior to their second year at Northern Virginia or Germanna Community College. Finalists will be invited to participate in a selection process in Richmond in May at the expense of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. Scholarship winners will be selected on the basis of their applications and interviews. Notification follows immediately.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

* Be currently enrolled full time at Germanna or Northern Virginia Community Colleges in a health sciences program with first year completed by end of spring semester 2014.

* Reside in the following zip code areas: 20112, 22025, 22026, 22079, 22125, 22134, 22172, 22191, 22192, 22193, 22554, 22556.

* Demonstrate ability and commitment to a health science profession with intent to transfer to a Virginia public college or university.

* Have unmet financial need as determined by an application that includes student and family income and student and family contributions to tuition, books and fees.

* Demonstrate evidence of academic excellence, leadership potential, and personal integrity.

* Demonstrate evidence of community service or faith-based endeavors.

* Be nominated by a faculty member and endorsed by the president of the college or campus provost.

Q&A

1. When is the application deadline: All applications and supporting materials should be postmarked by August 25, 2014.

2. Does a student need a specific GPA to apply for the Fellows program?

Yes. To apply, a student must have successfully earned 30 credit hours with a minimum 3.5 GPA.

3. Does the 3.5 GPA requirement for a Fellow apply for second year courses or overall GPA?

The Fellows scholar should maintain an overall 3.5 GPA.

4. When are the two letters of recommendation and school transcripts due? Can they be sent separately from my application?

Applications can be completed online and letters can be sent separately but they must also be postmarked by August 25, 2014. If you are having a teacher or supervisor send a recommendation letter for you, please make sure they clearly identify the applicant and which scholarship they are recommending him/her for.

5. How does an applicant get an endorsement from the college president or campus provost?

The applicant should work with a financial aid counselor at the college and/or the head of the college’s educational foundation to secure a letter from the president or provost.

6. What sort of evidence does an applicant need to provide for community service or faith-based endeavors?

One of the recommendation letters required with the application should be from a community services supervisor or someone other than a family member or friend who can attest to the applicant’s achievements and character from personal knowledge. In addition, the applicant should provide information about such service in the application (essay question III).

7. Which year of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) should be submitted with the application?

The most recent FAFSA should be submitted with the application.

8. How much financial assistance will a Fellow receive?

A Fellow will receive up to $6,000 to cover tuition, books, and fees for the second year at Germanna or Northern Virginia Community College. Fellows must complete a full second year at their college.

9. Can a second year student transfer to another college in Virginia?

No. To be eligible for the Potomac Health Foundation Fellows program, a student must be enrolled at either Germanna or Northern Virginia Community College and must continue his/her studies there for the full second year.

10. Does the scholarship recipient have to enroll in the fall term?

Yes. If accepted into the Fellows scholarship program, the student must be enrolled in the fall of 2014 at either Germanna or Northern Virginia Community College.

11. Will a check be sent to the student or the college?

Payment will be sent to a Fellow’s college once he/she has signed a letter of scholarship acceptance and enrolled in first semester classes. Fellows will be reimbursed for their book purchases and other supplies related to their studies.

12. How often will the Fellows meet?

The Fellows will meet initially for a summer orientation and to share plans for their community service projects. Participation is required in at least two other programs to hear from prominent speakers and engage in cultural and motivational activities.

13. When is the summer stipend available?

A stipend of $3,000 will be provided to the Fellows who successfully complete their scholarship year and who participate in a summer work internship or an approved community service project. The stipend will be paid in 2 installments.

Sales of Germanna President Sam's new book to benefit GCC Educational Foundation

Sales of Germanna Community College President David A. Sam's new semi-autobiographical book of poetry, “Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves," go to the GCC Educational Foundation. The book officially launches this Sunday, June 15. It's on prelease sale now on Amazon.com.

It’s Dr. Sam's first full-length collection of poetry.

He has readings and signings set for 2 p.m. next Sunday, June 22 at The Griffin Bookstore and Coffee Bar in downtown Fredericksburg and for 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 11 at The Raven's Nest Coffee House in downtown Culpeper.

 Here’s what two respected poets have to say about “Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves”:

 “David Sam is a poet of deep identity with the natural world. In these intimate narratives of discovery and awe, the poems speak often with an almost breathless urgency, reminding us of the inexhaustible life within life, testaments to a unique sensitivity, in a boy and then a man. In journeys both actual and metaphorical, the self is not different than rivers or sunrise. ‘I am made of water and wild air,’ one poem says.  The lucky reader breathes deeply.”

- Allan Peterson, author of “Fragile Acts” and “All the Lavish in Common”

 

“David Anthony Sam’s poems are literally rooted in the earth, seeded in the rich, dark soil.  Whether he’s writing about childhood or the rivers of Pennsylvania, these poems are filled with fields, mountains, lakes, snow and stars; they remind us that human life is found in the morning air, in the golden rays of the rising sun, in a bird’s call as dusk arrives.  Memories in Clay, Dreams of Wolves is an impressive book that will transport you into the natural world where, as Sam writes, you will become ‘forgetful and human again.’”

- David James, author of “She Dances Like Mussolini,” winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie book award in poetry

Marking 20 years of fun that pays off for students with financial need

Local students have been Scholarship Monte Carlo Night's big winners.
On April 5, the event, which benefits the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation, marks 20 years of fun that pays off for students with financial need.
Over that time, it's raised more than $1 million for the Germanna Guarantee Program, which last year helped 200 students for whom financial need might have been a barrier to attending college.
More from Thursday's Culpeper Times.

Single tickets are $90 and sponsorship levels ranging from $350 to $5,000 are available.
For more information, contact the GCC Educational Foundation at foundation@germanna.edu or 540/423-9074 or Event Chair Clarissa Berry at 540/718-0000 or clarissa.berry@gmail.com.

20th GCCEF Scholarship Monte Carlo Night set for April 5

Life itself is a game of chance, says Germanna Community College President David A. Sam.

 "And Germanna Community College is about second, and even third, chances," he says.

A little bit of Las Vegas comes to Culpeper on Saturday, April 5, when the Germanna Community College Educational Foundation's 20th annual Scholarship Monte Carlo Casino Night returns to the Daniel Technology Center, located about 30 minutes west of Fredericksburg, just off State Route 3.

 But buying a ticket, or even better, becoming a sponsor for Monte Carlo Casino Night, is no gamble, Sam says. It's more than a roll of the dice.

 It's a sure thing.

 Monte Carlo Night is what they would call in Las Vegas "a mortal lock"--that is, at least in terms of helping local students who have financial need, and helping to jump-start the area economy at the same time by making its workforce more competitive.

 The black-tie event has become a highlight of Culpeper's social season, while providing scholarship funds for the GCC Educational Foundation's Germanna Guarantee Program.

 That program ensures that students with financial need who cannot find enough aid from other sources get the funds necessary to fill in the gaps paying for tuition and books. Over $1 million has been raised over time and  In the past year, 200 students were helped.

Erica Hodge  is a prime example. She thought her college career was over and her dream of a nursing career was dead.

But the Germanna Guarantee Program kept the 1999 Spotsylvania High School graduate and Culpeper resident going.

 Hodge didn't qualify for other financial aid because her husband made too much money before his hours were cut due to the recession. GGP covered the total cost of her tuition and books.

 "Fresh out of high school, I was too young to know what I wanted to be.  I realized that nursing is what I want to do,” she said. After being a stay-at-home mom for years, she was on her way to her goal when it looked like the recession was going to stop her cold in 2009.

      "I wasn’t eligible for any grants or scholarships based on my husband’s  income level,” she said. “The Educational Foundation listened to my story… I was shocked, ecstatic and very grateful. It covered everything. That was huge weight off my shoulders after one of the most stressful months of my life.”

She received an academic excellence award for having the highest grade-point average in her class, was a speaker at 2010 graduation, and became a nurse in the Fredericksburg area.

Single tickets are $90 and sponsorship levels ranging from $350 to $5,000 are available.
For more information, contact the GCC Educational Foundation at foundation@germanna.edu or 540/423-9074 or Event Chair Clarissa Berry at 540/718-0000 or clarissa.berry@gmail.com.

Germanna serves the city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, Culpeper, King George, Madison, Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford.

Sponsorship includes signage at the event, listing in the 20th Anniversary Scholarship Monte Carlo program and recognition in local media.
For more information, please contact:
Clarissa Berry, Event Chair clarissa.berry@gmail.com 540/718-0000
GCC Educational Foundation Office foundation@germanna.edu 540/423-9060

Event Sponsor ($5,000.00) Includes 16 event tickets, special recognition and signage at the event, a listing in the 20th Anniversary Scholarship Monte Carlo Program; headlines in all local media advertisements.
Titanium Sponsor ($3,500.00) Includes 12 event tickets and more.
Palladium Sponsor ($2,500.00) Includes 10 event tickets and more.
Platinum Sponsor ($1,000.00) Includes 8 event tickets and more.
Gold Sponsor ($750.00) Includes 6 event tickets and more.
Silver Sponsor ($500.00) Includes 4 event tickets and more.
Bronze Sponsor ($350.00) Includes 2 event tickets and more. 

She helps other students and the Germanna Educational Foundation is helping her

Germanna Community College student Sarah Pfeiffer is German. So when she needed a job, she thought about working at GCC’s Tutoring Center, helping others learn to speak her native tongue.
But she’s such a good student that she wound up tutoring German, English, math, biology and chemistry.

GCC Middle College Coordinator Carolyn Bynum
and student, tutor and scholarship recipient Sarah Pfeiffer

"I actually just walked over there to ask if they might need a German tutor,” she says with a laugh. Then GCC Coordinator of Tutoring Ann Lyons asked  how her English is. "I ended up tutoring pretty much everything I’ve taken so far,” Pfeiffer says.
She’s on track to graduate from Germanna in the spring of 2013. She plans to transfer to the University of Mary Washington to pursue a master’s degree in biology, then go on to dental school at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“I love it at Germanna,” she says. “Everybody is really helpful.”
She says she’s grateful to the Germanna Educational Foundation for the Raynold "Randy" Collier Glazebrook III Scholarship and the Steve and Nancy Jones Scholarship. They've “made a huge difference” as she puts herself through college, she says.
  Funds raised at the GCC Educational Foundation's annual Scholarship Monte Carlo Night, set for April 20 at Germanna's Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper, go to help Germanna students who aren't able to get the support they need through financial aid.

June 1 is the deadline to apply for Germanna Educational Foundation Scholarships. Applying is as easy as pushing a button.

June 1 is the deadline for applications for GCC Educational Foundation scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year.

Applying is as easy as clicking a button.

Go to the Germanna Community College home page and click on the “Educational Foundation” button, then “Scholarships” and click “Apply for Scholarships.” After completing the on-line application, students will be considered automatically for all of the GCC Educational Foundation’s scholarships.

Applicants do not need to apply separately for specific scholarships, although they can specify a preference if they wish. Scholarship award decisions will be announced beginning in early July. For more information about the GCC Educational Foundation’s scholarship program, call (540) 423-9060 or write Scholarships@Germanna.edu

Each year more than 200 GCC students are awarded over $200,000 in scholarships by the GCC Educational Foundation. Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted to the Foundation by June 1.

Most, but not all of the scholarships are based on financial need and require that a FAFSA (financial aid form) be sent to the GCC Financial Aid Office.

Scholarship Monte Carlo casino night raises record sum for students

GCC faculty member Araceli Palomino deals cards during the college Educational Foundation’s Scholarship Monte Carlo casino night fundraiser.

Germanna Community College’s Educational Foundation raised a record $120,000 as a crowd of 300 people attended the college’s 18th Annual Scholarship Monte Carlo event April 21 at GCC's Daniel Center in Culpeper.

Event chair Clarissa Berry called it “One of our biggest crowds.” MORE

Ride in comfort to GCC's Scholarship Monte Carlo Night on April 21

The Germanna Educational Foundation brings a little bit of Las Vegas to Culpeper with its 18th Annual Scholarship Monte Carlo to be held on Saturday, April 21 at the Daniel Technology Center from 6 p.m.–11 p.m.

NEW THIS YEAR: Foundation Director Mike Catell has chartered a Martz Group bus for sponsors, their guests and individual ticket buyers. The bus will pick people up at the Gordon Road commuter lot off State Route 3 in Spotsylvania at 5:45 p.m. and will leave the Daniel Center at 10:30 p.m., after the auction. Plenty of seats are available and reservations may be made by calling 540/423-9060 or emailing foundation@germanna.edu by Wednesday, April 18.

Monte Carlo Night raises money for the Germanna Guarantee Program. This program provides financial assistance to students who have the potential to succeed, and who need additional financial support, the opportunity to pursue and achieve their educational goals at Germanna. The program goal is to ensure that no student is denied access to an education because of financial need. During the current academic year, more than 100 Germanna students are receiving Germanna Guarantee scholarship funding because of the success of last year’s Scholarship Monte Carlo.

Call the Foundation Office at 540-423-9060 or email foundation@germanna.edu for more information or to sign up.

Couple goes from living in their car to finding themselves on the road to success at Germanna

Germanna Community College students Brian and Kimberlie Morris (above) were living in their car, wondering how they were going to find their way out of a seemingly bottomless pit of despair.
"Seven or eight years ago, my husband and I were actually homeless," Kimberlie said. "Going from figuring out how to pick ourselves up to be making the grades that I'm making--it's very much not where I thought I'd be at this point."
The 33-year-old is on the President's List and joining the college's chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honorary society. She's on course to graduate with an associate's degree in business administration in December 2013.
"She actually inspired me to go back to school," her husband Brian said. "This is my first semester. To go from living in our car to this..."
"It was a pipe dream," Kimberlie said, finishing his sentence.
"It was less than that--it was a puff of smoke," Brian, who just turned 40, said. "When we were homeless, we were more concerned about living from day to day, trying to get back on our feet. Once we did, that pipe dream became a reality." The couple lives in Spotsylvania County.
Neither of Kimberlie's parents finished high school.
The Morrises said things turned around when someone was willing to rent them an apartment and allowed them to pay the deposit over time. Brian found a job and they were on their way. "You don't have a phone number," she said. "You don't have a permanent address. How do you find a job when you don't have those things?"

Having been through that, they now try to help others whenever they can, even though they have little money.
Because someone gave them a chance, she said, "It's been a complete, 360-degree turnaround. We didn't want a handout, we wanted a hand up. If we can do that for someone else, fantastic."

Kimberlie applied to Germanna, with support from the GCC Educational Foundation. "I thought, life starts over," she said. "Things happen and you can actually go. This time I'm just going to put my foot down and see what happens. To have my dad understand and say,'You went beyond what I though you could accomplish...' "
After a stint in the military, Brian also began taking classes at GCC.
"Every time I go to class, I'm early," Kimberly said. "Every time I sit down in my chair in class, I appreciate my professor's time. As soon as I get home, I do my homework. Maybe if younger students understood that... Every time I see a kid who's younger than me miss a class, I just see dollar signs. I think, 'You're just throwing your education down the toilet bowl.' Not that you don't have reasons to miss class. But it's just that I think I respect it more, having not gone directly from high school to college.
"Now I'm a college student my father can brag about."

Record total of scholarship funds raised at Germanna's Monte Carlo Night

Despite difficult economic times, Saturday night’s Germanna Educational Foundation Monte Carlo Casino Night scholarship fundraiser at the GCC Daniel Center in Culpeper set a record by raising over $100,000. All proceeds go the Germanna Guarantee Scholarship Program, which helps students who have financial need and can’t get enough aid from other source. One hundred and eighty people attended the event.

Germanna Educational Foundation 2011 Monte Carlo Night Co-Chair Clarissa Berry of Madison County said Saturday night’s event “couldn’t have gone any better.”

The foundation easily surpassed its goal of raising $100,000.

“This is our 17th year and we’ve raised more money than we ever have, and have one of the biggest crowds we’ve ever had,” Berry said. “The fact that people came out during hard economic times has blown me away.”

Culpeper resident Erica Hodge, a GGP scholarship recipient who graduated and became a nurse in 2010 altered the course of her life and saved her family’s home.

“If it wasn’t for the Germanna Guarantee Program, I would still be in school after having to take a year off,” Hodge said. “Because of it, I was able to start my career and grow my family and focus on continuing my education.” 

The 29-year-old Hodge, who has a 5-year-old son, was on the verge of dropping out of Germanna in December 2009 when her husband’s work hours were cut because of the recession. The scholarship she then received from GGP allowed her to stay and school and get her degree and become an LPN, then get a job working in a doctor’s office in Fredericksburg.

Because of the impact the recession had on her family’s income, they had found themselves in a whole, “and my first paycheck as a nurse came just in time to save our house,” she said.

“Everything fell into place for me because of the Germanna Guarantee,” Hodge said Saturday night during Monte Carlo Night at the Daniel Center. “When I found out about the Germanna Guarantee Program, I was amazed that people care so much about their community that they would help students they don’t know--help people like me and my family.”

As if to add an exclamation point, she then won a free trip for two to Las Vegas as Monte Carlo Night wound down Saturday.

Each year, the event features Las Vegas-style gambling for big prizes, libations, dinner, live music and dancing.

GERMANNA GUARANTEE PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS THROUGH HARD TIMES

Courtney Bradley's been working three jobs while taking classes at Germanna, but still needed help. The Germanna Guarantee Program paid for her books.

Germanna Community College student Courtney Bradley, 22, is working three jobs and helping to support her mother while taking classes.

Student loans and scholarships are harder to come by during the recession, and many students like Bradley can turn to the Germanna Guarantee Program, which fills in gaps left by other financial aid using funds from local donors.

GERMANNA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE NOW

To be considered for an Educational Foundation scholarship, submit a cover sheet and essay by June 30, 2008 file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid prior to the deadline, and attend the Scholarship Luncheon in October...
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