Businesses and individuals who contribute to the Augusta Technical College Foundation meet the students benefiting from their donations.
The annual scholarship celebration on March 18 introduced students who have received endowed scholarships through the foundation to donors, including Aurubis Richmond, LLC.
Patrick Raley, HR Director, told ABD supporting students with the Aurubis Family Scholarship and Aurubis Women4Metals Scholarship is a win-win.
“We need to have employees that are trained and have a good manufacturing base to come to work for us,” he said. “It’s a way of giving back to the community and helping people that may not otherwise be able to afford to go to school. There’s a lot of need in the Augusta community, and a lot of good people that just with a little bit of help can really change their lives. So, we’ve invested heavily in our time and resources to build a strong relationship and build up a good, strong employee base for us.”
Seated with Raley was Shawn Wilson. ABD was at the Oct. 2023 event when Wilson, who at the time was a stay-at-home mother of seven children, was selected for a scholarship through Aurubis.
She said the scholarship was instrumental in her education.
“I work full time, and I’m also a student, and without the scholarship, I really wouldn’t be able to go to school, or I would have to take away from something in order to pay my tuition,” she explained. “I really appreciate it, because they don’t have to do what they do, and I really appreciate it, and I’m hoping to one day be able to give back.”
Cheryl Ciucevich, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, said the numbers tell the story of the impact donors to the scholarship fund have on the school and students.
“Last academic year, the foundation again received a record number of scholarship applications, over 1,600. That’s 611 more scholarship applicants than the year before,” she said. “We’re able to award 178 scholarships, which is 55 more than the year before, and the total amount of awards was nearly $30,000 more than the year before. That would not be possible. Thank you for continuing to support and extend those scholarships.”
Dr. Jermaine Whirl, outgoing President of Augusta Tech, participated in what was his final scholarship celebration.
“I don’t count down days but only have a few left, and this is a great time to be here, which is really to celebrate,” he said. “But I do want to say thanks to all of our donors. You all are making a difference in the lives of our students, and we’re able to save students.”
Among the students was Zuri Todd, recipient of the GOAL (Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership) Scholarship.
“It means a lot for me, simply because I’m a widow and single mother, and so I decided to re-enroll in school full time to finally finish my degree and pursue another field,” she said. “I finished my Interdisciplinary Studies Associate (Degree) and getting into the nursing program next. So, any amount of help is much appreciated for me being the sole provider in my house.”
Todd will represent Augusta Tech in the competition to be selected for Technical College System of Georgia’s Student of the Year.
