OneMain Financial “Stress-Relieving” Scholarships Help Students Stay On Path To Completion

Contact: Linda Wallace, 215-751-8082, liswallace@ccp.edu
Annette John-Hall, 215-751-8021, anhall@ccp.edu

PHILADELPHIA, PA., - For many community college students, the task of earning a degree or certificate in only two years can be daunting. Life often gets in the way.

Twenty years ago, LyVette Byrd dropped out of Community College of Philadelphia because she needed to earn a living. Today she is taking classes again, working to “complete the degree I started back in the 90’s.”

Fifty percent of students who leave college before completing a degree or  earning a certificate said they “need to work and make money,” according to the Public Agenda, a diversity think tank that addresses issues in higher education. Moreover, 60 percent who leave without graduating said they could not count on financial assistance from their families and had to pay for college themselves, it found.

OneMain Financial and Achieving the Dream, Inc., a nonprofit network dedicated to student success, are doing their part to address these financial barriers. They have established the OneMain Financial Completion Scholarship Program, a national initiative to help deserving community college students get to the finish line and earn a degree.

Community College of Philadelphia was among five colleges selected nationally for the initiative. Four Community College of Philadelphia students – William Hazley (digital forensics); Amber Llewellyn (clinical laboratory technology); Jessica Morales (clinical laboratory technology); and Byrd (behavioral health and human services) –received the $3,000 scholarship in Fall, 2015.

“We recognize the need for more students to complete their education and secure jobs that will allow them to support a family,” said Mary McDowell, OneMain Financial president and CEO. “We are excited about the scholarships, which will be offered to students who are nearing graduation but are facing potential delays due to financial burdens.”

“The College is uniquely positioned to advance the social and economic interests of this great city—and nation,” said Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia.  “We cannot achieve student success goals independent of the community partnerships that are required to share and leverage our limited resources,” he adds. “Many stakeholders are important to the ultimate success of our students and our city, but none more so than local employers and donors that expands opportunities for students that are essential in today’s workplace.”

For Llewellyn, who is in her second year, the scholarship couldn’t have come at a better time.  “I was relieved, grateful, happy,” said the 21-year-old, who is in the clinical laboratory technology program. “I was worried about paying for books and transportation, so once the scholarship came through I was ecstatic.”

Llewellyn lives with her grandmother in Port Richmond because her mother was unable to keep up the rent on their family’s home. “Right now we’re trying to get the down payment money for a new place, but it’s hard,” she said. “It won’t be anytime soon.”

The scholarship recipients recently met with Doug Benson of OneMain Financial for a luncheon meet-and-greet hosted by the College. There, Byrd took the time to show her appreciation for the recognition and the award.

“I worked for 20 years in the behavioral and mental health field but I kept getting turned down for advancement opportunities. I needed the degree to match the experience,” Byrd, 47, said.

“With the scholarship I was able to pay for my monthly TransPass, the books that I had delayed getting and the balance of my tuition. It was very much needed.”

Next semester, Byrd will celebrate a milestone – induction into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for community college students. Her confidence renewed, she has pledged to finish her associates degree in two years.

The scholarship brought her closer to that goal and her future.

OneMain Financial and Achieving the Dream, Inc., is  featured as part of Community College of Philadelphia's Learning Without Limits campaign. As the College celebrates 50 years, Learning Without Limits will share stories of businesses, nonprofits and leaders that help students overcome hurdles and make it to the finish line.


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Community College of Philadelphia has served more than 685,000 students. It currently enrolls more than 34,000 credit and non-credit students. The College offers day, evening and weekend classes, as well as classes online. Visit the College at www.ccp.edu. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook.