More than $80,000 in scholarships was awarded to 142 students at Cuyamaca and Grossmont colleges, it was announced Monday.
A total of $80,191 in scholarship money was awarded — $33,191 to 53 Cuyamaca College students and $47,000 to 89 Grossmont College students.
Many of the students were awarded Osher scholarships, the result of a statewide community college scholarship fund established by the Bernard Osher Foundation in 2011. Osher, a Bay Area philanthropist, committed $50 million to the fund and challenged colleges to raise money to establish the scholarships.
Cuyamaca and Grossmont College raised almost $850,000 and were two of the 31 institutions in the state that reached – and exceeded – their fundraising goals set by the Osher Foundation. Through a statewide endowment fund, scholarships will be awarded in perpetuity to students at the two colleges.
Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges board chair Judy Garrett said at a Saturday ceremony that many of the scholarship recipients dealt with personal issues that included financial difficulties, unstable families, homelessness or recent arrivals from other countries.
“I admire all of you for showing the guts and determination to stick with your programs despite these obstacles,” Garrett said.
“Those scholarships are never going to go away.”
To donate or learn more about the Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges, go to www.foundation.gcccd.edu.