Mar 23, 2019
By Camila Cernawsky Nakandakari
A group of students at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is creating the first student-led endowment for a scholarship.
Their goal is to support and celebrate student leaders in their college community.
During their last semester at HCC, students Kaylin MacDonald and Antonio Orellana decided they wanted to give back to their campus before they graduated. They wanted to help students graduate and transfer to a university. They approached the Hillsborough Community College Foundation to see how they could help. They created a committee to work on the “HCC Dale Mabry Student Leader Scholarship” with the support from the HCC Foundation.
“A lot of student leaders have to make sacrifices to be able to participate in school activities,” said MacDonald, co-founder of the endowment. “We’re trying to reward them for doing the things that they do and oftentimes go unrewarded. They do so much so selflessly so we’re just trying to give back to the school as we’re leaving.”
The scholarship will be the first student-led endowment at HCC. It is created and funded through donations and fundraising organized by students. Many students lead without reward or compensation, face financial instability, and food insecurity.
“I didn’t get some of the scholarships because I fell through some of the cracks for the requirements for some,” she said. “My clothes come from the thrift store, I live where I have to, sometimes students like me don’t eat, and I still have to pay for my classes.”
According to the financial-service marketplace, Credible, Americans currently owe $1.56 trillion in student loan debt. The average debt in 2019 is $33,310. Additionally, 73 percent of students have delayed at least one major milestone in their lives because of their debts, according to Bankrate.
The committee wants to reduce those numbers, by eliminating the need for student loans. Even though some students cannot afford to pay for their classes, they are not eligible for scholarships because the application looks at their parent’s finances. The HCC Dale Mabry Student Leader Scholarship is based on financial aid but does not look at expected family contributions that are on FAFSA applications, allowing more students to be eligible for the scholarship.
“Some parents might be well off, but… they won’t give their son or daughter money,” said Colby Ryan, committee member. “They make their kids buy their own food, pay for their own gas, and pay for their own car insurance even though they’re living in the house. Well, that disqualifies them for some scholarships.”
The committee understands that many students are not able to focus on their studies or be involved on campus because they need to work to afford paying for classes. Their goal is to eliminate this stress, allowing students to dedicate more time to their academics and involvement.
A lot of students go to a community college to receive their associate degree before transferring to a university to get their bachelor’s degree. During the transfer process, universities look beyond students’ transcripts. They consider their resume to see involvement and previous scholarship.
The HCC Dale Mabry Student Leader Scholarship will help students to create a strong, competitive resume. When the time for them to transfer comes, they will have better chances of getting accepted in their desired university and get scholarships.
“Not only does it reward them for the hard work that they’ve already put in, but it also helps them mentally,” he said. “We want them to focus on their classes because they know that they will have that money there to be able to continue to go to college and be involved.”
As the first endowment of its kind, the student-led scholarship’s legacy requires a hefty $10,000 start-up and relies solely upon gracious donor contributions and student fundraising. The Hillsborough Community College Foundation has committed to help the committee to find a 1:1 match for donations. To learn more about the endowment or to donate, visit hccfoundation.com.
