Farmington, MO – BJC HealthCare and The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis have selected its first class of scholarship recipients and recently honored the students during a luncheon at the BJC Learning Institute in St. Louis. Among the fourteen scholarship recipients is Emma Means of Farmington.
Emma and her parents, Fred and Patti Means, attended the special luncheon. Emma is currently a freshman at University of Missouri-Columbia and is majoring in chemistry. In expressing her gratitude, she stated, “I am the first in my family to go to college. This scholarship relieves a financial burden for my family and it enables me to focus on schoolwork and time to study.” Emma reflected that while it is certainly a big campus, UMC is a great school for academics. “I like it a lot, and my first semester is going well,” she said.
BJC created the scholarship opportunity in response to regional community needs identified by the Ferguson Commission and For the Sake of All. Open to high school seniors planning to pursue a two- or four-year degree at a public Missouri or Illinois state college or university in their state of residence, the BJC Scholars Fund offers need-based awards of $10,000 per academic year. The annually renewable scholarship can be applied toward tuition, fees, room and board, transportation and incidental costs.
Steve Lipstein, CEO of BJC HealthCare, attended the luncheon and addressed the small group of scholars. “There is a real correlation between higher education and better health,” said Lipstein. “Statistics show that a college degree adds 10 years to your life. We want to make an investment in you – not just your education, but your health as well. By creating this new scholarship opportunity, BJC hopes to make an impact in helping you attain your educational goals and in creating new opportunities for a brighter and healthier future.”
In addition to administering the BJC scholarship program, The Scholarship Foundation is supporting the awardees and their parents in taking full advantage of other state, federal and institutional funds to which students are entitled, to ensure that the BJC scholarship award completes the funding required for full year attendance. The foundation also provides ongoing support that includes advising, workshops, financial aid counseling, participation in paid internship programs and additional funding opportunities if relevant.