Jon Mycko, a City College alumnus and recipient of a City College Affiliates Scholarship in 2020, lives with diabetes and a heart condition, diagnosed at a young age. This affliction has put a strain on his family’s finances..

In a testimonial posted on the scholarship thank-you page, Mycko wrote that his scholarship award allowed him to focus on completing his academic goals. He plans to use his education to develop new advancements and technologies for diabetes and heart conditions.

“This scholarship is an amazing opportunity for me to further my academic experience and bring some comfort to my life while taking more than nine credit hours,” Mycko said, adding his thanks to City College faculty who encouraged his interest in science and math. “This scholarship couldn’t have come at a more dire time. During the Covid-19 pandemic, my wife and I have been out of work, barely managing to pay our monthly expenses.”

Scholarships offered at City College have provided many opportunities for students to help cover tuition and other living financial expenses while pursuing higher education and a future for themselves.

Students can apply for scholarships through March 5. According to the Scholarship FAQs on the City College Student Resources page, up to 400 scholarships are available to current students. There is no limit to the number of scholarships eligible students can apply for. Undocumented and international students are also eligible, as well as students who previously received scholarships..

Students can apply for merit scholarships, work scholarships, field of study scholarships, need scholarships and school scholarships. The catalog of available scholarships can be found at the Los Rios Colleges Foundation webpage. Applicants can use the filter to reduce the types of scholarships they view at a time.

Victoria Austin, the regional director of philanthropy, oversees fundraising for City College. She helps to raise money for district-wide and regional initiatives and also helps administer scholarship funds. According to Austin, the average scholarship award is $750.

“We give out many scholarships that are $500 and many that are $1,000,” Austin said. “We also have some that are as large as $1,500 or $2,000. Last year we awarded $289,000 in scholarships. This year will be about the same.”

Austin encourages students of all majors to search within the system for scholarships targeted at their field of study and to apply for them. She said that less than a handful of students apply for certain scholarships, which tends to lead to better odds for students who do apply.

“Some of our scholarships are restricted to majors where we just don’t have that many students who are in the major at SCC. And sometimes students from these majors are unaware that there are scholarships they could apply for,” Austin said. “It creates a situation where there is a small pool of students to begin with and then, of that pool of students, only a few apply.”

Many City College current, former or retired faculty and staff donate to scholarships. Some are funded by City College alumni or local organizations. Austin said that donors want to help City College students who are trying to create better futures by obtaining college educations.

“I often hear from donors that they received help while they were in school and are funding a scholarship so they can pay it forward. Other donors know that community college students often struggle to make ends meet, and they want to make sure that students have what they need to be successful in completing their degree,” Austin said. “The common denominator is that they want to make a difference in the lives of others.”

Dean of Language and Literature Robin Ikegami, who assists with the scholarship application review process, said that it’s important for students to discuss their unique qualifications in short essays when applying for scholarships.

“When applying for the $400 Jean Stephens scholarship [exclusive to journalism majors], they should be sure to mention their work on The Express in at least one of the short essays,” Ikegami said. “The $500 Phyllis Smith Scholarship says that ‘preference will be given to students who are head of household.’ So applicants should be sure to write about themselves in that role.”

Ikegami said that there is no limit to the number of scholarships students can apply for and many don’t require a high GPA, but to be eligible to apply, students are required to have completed at least 6 units and be currently enrolled in 6 units at City College.

Students can begin the application process by logging in with a student ID number and providing as much information about themselves as possible in their application. The Scholarship FAQs specify that an application without a letter of recommendation is considered incomplete, so students are encouraged to begin collecting letters from staff, faculty and employers well ahead of the application deadline.

City College offers resources and information about how to apply for scholarships on the campus website’s Student Resources page. Students can also find an instructional video there created by Professor David Fabionar, an Honors & Awards Committee member and communications professor at City College, to guide students through the scholarship application process.