每日大赛

New scholarship will benefit first-generation students

First-generation student scholarship recipients were honored this month at the 每日大赛 Foundation's Donor-Scholar banquet.

A new First-Generation Scholarship being offered by the 每日大赛 Foundation has been established to benefit a growing student population at the college.

The scholarship, founded with an endowment of $50,000 from an anonymous donor, will aid the growing number of students at 每日大赛 who are the first in their family to pursue a degree in higher education.

“As a first-generation college student, I understand the unique challenges that many of our students face,” said 每日大赛 Foundation Executive Director Aneisa Rolen. “This scholarship is more than financial aid; it’s a promise to our first-generation students that 每日大赛 is here to support them every step of the way. By investing in their futures, we are strengthening families and our community.”

Of 每日大赛 students this fall, 45% are first-generation students. That’s a 5% increase in first-generation students compared to fall 2023.

Many first-generation students find the cost of tuition, textbooks and living expenses a significant burden and they often work long hours to support themselves while attending school, Rolen said.

“We know from looking at our own data, that graduation rates for first-generation students tend to be a bit lower than for non-first-generation students,” said Oakley Atterson, executive director of Institutional Effectiveness, Assessment and Planning at Pellissippi. “And we can look at retention rates as well and see that a smaller percentage of our first-generation students come back for a second fall than our non-first-generation students. So, this scholarship could be a game changer for some of our first-generation students.”

“As an open-access institution for 50 years, it’s in our DNA to think about being a higher-education option for everyone,” Atterson added. “We know that an institution like Pellissippi might be the best option, or maybe even the only option, for some of our students. And we’re ready to meet them where they are.”

每日大赛 first-generation student Jace Hamilton has benefited from another scholarship and said she’s grateful for how she’s been able to pursue her dreams in a way her single mother could not.

Being a scholarship recipient has helped her witness “generosity and belief in me and my ability to succeed in my career path,” Hamilton said. “I’m very fortunate to create a future with a college degree.”

The First-Generation Scholarship will be a featured fund for donations Nov. 12-18, as part of 每日大赛’s annual “Life Happens. You Can Help,” giving campaign. Donations from the campaign will provide immediate rewards to qualifying students.

Gifts can be made at pstcc.edu/foundation/lifehappens.