Last Updated on April 21, 2019 by cassnetwork
KOKOMO, Ind. — Six area teens have been named the first recipients of a new Ivy Tech Community College scholarship aimed at rewarding graduates who are earning the Indiana Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate (GWEC) along with their diploma. The students will each receive a $1,250 scholarship to attend Ivy Tech this fall.
The winners include Evan Ulery and Braxton Howard from Logansport High School, Kaitlin Stapleton from Maconaquah High School, Dylan Vasbinder from Taylor High School, Megan Silvers from Tipton High School, and Rileigh Murphy from Western High School.
The scholarship, known as the Ivy Tech Sycamore Scholars Program, is made possible through an endowment to support Ivy Tech students set up by the Sycamore Recreation Association from the proceeds of sale of the former Delco Park on East Sycamore Road in the late 1990s.
The scholarship competition was open to students in the 12 school corporations within Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area that are participating in the Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate initiative. To receive one of the scholarships, applicants must be participating in the Work Ethic Certificate program (and successfully complete it) and must intend to enroll (and ultimately enroll) at Ivy Tech locations in Kokomo, Logansport, Peru, or Rochester as a full-time student this fall.
“The Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate program was established to encourage students to learn the basic work skills that Hoosier employers expect in their employees and increase student marketability in pursuing college or a career,” said Dean McCurdy, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area, which includes Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, and Tipton counties. “We are happy to be able to recognize students who earn this certificate with scholarships that will cover half the cost of tuition and fees for a full semester of study at Ivy Tech.”
Under the approval of the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development awards the GWEC to “recognize the invaluable currency of ‘employability skills.’” Through the program, employer partners agree to offer guaranteed interviews, increased base pay, industry tours, tuition reimbursement, and other incentives in order to recruit these students. Dozens of employers in the five counties served by Ivy Tech Kokomo are participating in this initiative.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region