By Allison Peck
Two area students are among 25 Nebraska students receiving scholarships through EducationQuest Foundation’s Reaching Your Potential Scholarship Program.
Torren Wind of Gothenburg will attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha, while Perla Garcia Cavazos of Lexington will attend Bellevue University.
EducationQuest awarded a total of $170,500 in Reaching Your Potential Scholarship funds this cycle. The program provides renewable scholarships to low-income Nebraska students who face obstacles to attending college.
Students attending a two-year college receive $3,600 annually, while those attending a four-year college receive $7,100 annually. Applicants are referred to the program by community agencies, colleges and select high schools across Nebraska.
Since the program began in 2000, EducationQuest says it has awarded more than $10 million in scholarships to 764 Nebraska students. Of those recipients, 81% are either enrolled in college or have graduated.
“Every student deserves the opportunity to pursue a college education, regardless of their financial circumstances,” said EducationQuest Vice President of Grants and Scholarships Eric Drumheller. “Through the Reaching Your Potential Scholarship, we’re helping these students overcome financial barriers and providing support that can have a lasting impact on their lives, their families, and Nebraska communities.”
Lincoln native Haiveen Blasiny, who attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was named this cycle’s Tammi J. Preston Scholar. The award honors EducationQuest’s former director of Outreach Services and is given to the top-qualifying Reaching Your Potential recipient in each scholarship cycle.
The 25 scholarship recipients come from communities across Nebraska, including Gothenburg, Lexington, Bellevue, La Vista, Lincoln, Madison, Nebraska City and Omaha.