UNM-LA Fall 2021 scholarship winners include, back row from left, Carra Webster, Seth Heatherly, Anna Yarrow and Jimmy Wheeler. Front row: Jordan Bowman, Aaliyah Sandoval, Maria Blair, and Cadence Webster. Photo by Sara Jimenez/UNM-LA
UNM-LA NEWS RELEASE
UNM-Los Alamos (UNM-LA) was proud to present scholarships to a group of exemplary students at the Fall 2021 Scholarship Luncheon on October 14.
Overall, there were 16 recipients awarded scholarships, several of whom were awarded more than one scholarship. Among the scholarship recipients were mother and daughter Carra and Candace Webster.
“Being awarded a scholarship is such an honor, but it is truly a blessing that my daughter and I were awarded scholarships on the same day,” shared Carra Webster. “Not only do these funds help us in achieving the goal of obtaining our respective degrees, but we are able to add one more way a mother and daughter can bond! It is our hope that we can inspire others just like us. It is never too late (or too early) to achieve your dreams!” Webster continued, “We are beyond grateful for the staff at UNM-LA who constantly push us to be our best and it is so incredibly humbling to see that our work does not go unnoticed.”
At the fall luncheon, the scholarships and their recipients were awarded as follows:
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Scholarship: Carra Webster
UNM-LA Start Here Scholarship: Luke Rainey; Maria Blair
Benito Garcia Memorial Scholarship: Paul Alcazar
Agnes Finnie-Grotto Memorial Endowment: Maria Blair
Joe and Stella Martinez Memorial Endowment: Cadence Webster and Seth Heatherly
High Achiever Incentive Scholarship: Jimmy Wheeler
Jim Sagel Memorial Endowment: Natalia Maez
HED Incentive to Complete Scholarship: Aaliyah Sandoval
Legislative Endowment: Felicity Ferrell
Española Women’s Club Endowment: Felicity Ferrell
The Los Alamos Public Safety Association Scholarship: Eric Giron and Anna Yarrow
Alice A. Armstrong Memorial Endowment: Jenee Montoya
Applied Technology Native American Scholarship: Jimmy Wheeler and Aiyana Gipson
Graduation Project: Jordan Bowman and Kristy Ortega
“I would like to offer you my most sincere congratulations for taking this step to invest in your future and for the scholarships you have earned this year,” UNM-LA Chancellor Dr. Cynthia Rooney said at the award ceremony. “We are so proud to have such an incredible group continue their education in Los Alamos thus growing, developing, and improving the human capital of our community.”
These local scholarships are in addition to various state scholarship opportunities such as the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship and the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship. UNM-LA coordinates with scholarship donors to offer scholarships to help students bridge the gaps of tuition and fees. Every year, more UNM-LA students can follow their dreams by achieving their academic goals, with the help scholarships provide to fund their education.
“UNM-LA is incredibly grateful to the people and organizations that have donated money to allow us to provide scholarships to these extraordinary and hardworking students,” said Rooney.
In the past 10 years alone, UNM-LA’s scholarship program has awarded over half of a million dollars to its students.
The UNM-LA Start Here Scholarship is open to incoming first-time students to provide financial assistance with educational costs for the upcoming school year. The $500 scholarship is applied towards educational expenses including tuition and fees, books, course materials, or technology. This scholarship is designed to create further incentives for students to start their education journey with UNM-LA to benefit from quality instruction, individualized support, and affordable tuition before transferring to a 4-year university.
In 2019 UNM-LA initiated the High Achiever Incentive Scholarship of $1,000 for incoming students with a GPA of 3.75 or higher. The High Achiever Scholarship gives financial assistance to students enrolled in an Associate of Science Degree in Computer Science, Education, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Science, Pre-Professional Health Sciences, Pre-Engineering, Science, or an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Information Technology with Cybersecurity at UNM-LA.
The Graduation Project seeks to encourage former students to return to school to finish their degrees. Many students leave their university studies without a degree due to financial reasons, as well as a lack of institutional support and difficulty enrolling in the classes needed to graduate. UNM-LA is addressing these challenges through personalized outreach to eligible students, dedicated advisement services throughout their time at the college, individualized financial aid and scholarships, free tutoring, and internship opportunities, and career planning services.
The Los Alamos Public Safety Association Scholarship is offered by the Los Alamos Public Safety Association for students enrolled in a Medical Services degree program at UNM- Los Alamos. The amount of the scholarship is $500 for the fall semester.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has helped women pursue their dreams by helping to fund their education for more than 130 years. The Los Alamos Branch of AAUW offers a scholarship of $1000 to a woman who is a non-traditional student with financial needs. It is intended to help the student finish her degree or certificate. It is offered to a woman enrolled in any degree-seeking program at UNM-Los Alamos.
For a scholarship application or more information about eligibility for scholarships at UNM-LA, visit losalamos.unm.edu/students/financial-aid/scholarships.html.
UNM-Los Alamos is an innovative, rigorous, and affordable comprehensive branch community college that provides foundations for transfer, leading-edge career programs, and lifelong learning opportunities. More information about UNM-Los Alamos is available at losalamos.unm.edu.