While the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the school year, nearly 40 Richmond students have received scholarships to support them once they begin their post-secondary education.
In total, the Richmond Community Foundation gave out 50 scholarships to 36 students in the city, worth a combined $28,000. The foundation reviewed 148 applications.
Both Allison Nielsen, a Richmond secondary student with a two-year-old daughter, and Joey Huang – who won the Richmond Community Foundation and RichCity Idol scholarships – say receiving the funding is inspiring and will help them achieve their future goals.
For Nielsen, that’s becoming a hairstylist to provide a better life for her daughter, and one day opening her own hair salon.
The scholarships will be distributed in the coming weeks, but students will have up to two years to register at a post-secondary institution and use the funding – an option that, according to RCF, gives students flexibility as schools around the country adapt to physical distancing and other health guidelines.
“For us, it’s a challenge to select the winners, because there are so many quality applications,” said Julie Halfnights, chair of the foundation’s scholarship committee.
“On the plus side, thanks to our fundholders, we’re able to assist more students each year.”
This year, the foundation distributed scholarships from 15 different funds, which are set up by individuals, families and businesses to help students as they pursue their post-secondary studies.
Six of those funds, including one set up by Linda Li and another by Dacheng Education Group, awarded scholarships for the first time.
Dave Frank, the foundation’s chair, said the fact that the foundation could draw on so many new funds was “significant,” and a trend he hopes will continue in the future.
The Richmond Community Foundation was established in 1990, and manages nearly 50 funds, from which it awards grants and scholarships to local students and non-profit organizations.
