Scholarship Central
HCC Scholarship Resource Center first of its kind in Massachusetts
As the Holyoke Community College Foundation prepares to begin accepting scholarship applications for the 2024-2025 academic year, HCC will celebrate the grand opening of its new Scholarship Resource Center with an open house and ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
The Scholarship Resource Center, on the first floor of the Donahue Building, is the first of its kind among community colleges in Massachusetts and one of several recent changes aimed at making the scholarship application process simpler and easier for students.
"We're so excited that we have this beautiful space to help our students through the scholarship process," said Laura Freeman, HCC manager of stewardship and donor relations. "While the main purpose of the center is to help students apply for scholarships, it's also a place to celebrate our scholarship donors and teach students the value of philanthropy and what it means not only to their own educational journey but to the community at large."
Scholarship season for the 2024-2025 academic year officially opens on Monday, Jan. 29. The application deadline is Sunday, March 3.
Each year, the HCC Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships worth about $350,000 to more than 300 incoming, current, and transferring HCC students. Students must be currently enrolled at HCC or have been accepted for the upcoming academic year to be eligible.
The Jan. 31 open house will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with brief remarks from President George Timmons at 12 noon, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official grand opening.
Besides being treated to brownies and a hot cocoa bar, visitors will be eligible to win a raffle prize. Students who apply for scholarships during the open house will receive an extra raffle entry. The first 250 students who apply for scholarships this year will also receive a free HCC-branded beanie.
The Scholarship Resource Center will be staffed Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students in need of assistance can drop in any time during office hours to ask questions or to use one of the center's three computer workstations. They can also schedule appointments to meet with Freeman or other center staffers.
"We can also help them submit their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which they will need to apply for a scholarship," Freeman said.
The center will also be hosting scholarship workshops both in person and remotely for those who need assistance with their applications.
"I think opening this space at the same time we're opening up scholarship applications is huge," Freeman said. "Because now there is this dedicated space where there will be people to help students with their applications whenever they need it."
In addition, HCC has introduced a new online application platform that should expedite the application process.
As in past years, applicants only need to fill out a single online form to be automatically matched with the scholarships they are most qualified to receive. There are scholarships for new students, current students, and students transferring to other institutions, scholarships based on financial need, scholarships for students in specific majors, scholarships for residents of certain communities, and scholarships that recognize academic achievement.
For more information or for assistance, please contact the Scholarship Resource Center at scholarships@hcc.edu or visit the center in Donahue 158.
To view scholarship opportunities and begin the application process, please go to: www.hcc.edu/scholarships
Questions should be directed to Laura Freeman at 413-552-2613 or lfreeman@hcc.edu.
PHOTO: HCC will celebrate the grand opening of its new Scholarship Resource Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
