Centennial College Scholarships Reward Hard Work

By: Mark Toljagic

At Toronto’s Centennial College, there is no shortage of scholarships and bursaries available to students for work well done. Funded by local employers, organizations and individuals, these awards are a testimony to the enormous amount of community and corporate support Centennial College has attracted over the years.

Most of the scholarships are aimed at college students who have been in their chosen program for at least one year. Entrance scholarships are open to new applicants to Centennial. Applications are typically found on the college website. Students print out the applications, complete and submit them to the Financial Aid office on campus by the stated due date.

Scherry George, Centennial’s Associate Registrar, Student Financial Services, advises students to start applying for scholarships as early as possible – before the semester even begins – and to as many as are applicable to the individual.

“There are resources available to students who are willing to invest time and effort to apply. If they don’t know where to start, any campus financial aid office can point to not only their institution’s offerings, but external scholarship sites that provide support, too.”

George says Centennial College provides free workshops on student financial planning, knowing that young adults sometimes find it challenging to budget their money, especially if they’re living away from home for the first time.

“We provide summer financial aid sessions to our most financially challenged students. We offered a Financial Literacy workshop in November with information on personal budgeting, credit and debt management, saving and investing, financial planning and even protecting against identity fraud.”

George points out that all bursaries and some scholarships have a financial need component as part of the application process, along with academic and community volunteer requirements. Some funds are directed at a specific identified group, such as sole-support parents or Aboriginals. The process isn’t always crystal-clear, but George says college staff are happy to help.

“Students should persevere to do their best to obtain any resource that helps support their post-secondary education. In addition to any monetary value, scholarships can boost the student’s well being and provide the impetus to do even better. Earning a scholarship certainly helps when the student is seeking employment by demonstrating leadership, commitment and dedication.”