Opportunities After High School: 12 $5,000 Scholarships for Local Graduates | New
Columbia County high school students are now considering their future educational plans, whether it be trade school or public/private college.
Since 2000, the Columbia Learning Center has made higher education costs a little easier by awarding $5,000 Chance to Become Scholarships to 288 senior graduates from Columbia County’s five high schools. Over the 22 years of student aid, these scholarships are valued at $1,400,000.
This year, the Columbia Learning Center is awarding 12 $5,000 scholarships to 2022 graduates from all five Columbia County high schools, including five for St. Helens, two for Scappoose High School, one for Rainier, three for Clatskanine and one for Vernonia.
This scholarship is one of the most unique in the country. Students are chosen by their schools according to very non-traditional criteria, with grades playing a minor role in the process. A student may have a special talent or skill, overcome challenges, or simply do their best at whatever they do. In short, this scholarship aims to include a wide range of students.
The Chance to Become scholarship has made all the difference in the world for me,” said Columbia Learning Center Board Member Patricia Galvan. “It allowed me to pursue and specialize my education in institutions of higher learning!”
Galvan is a deputy corrections officer with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office,
Columbia Learning Center’s primary fundraiser is the Black Tie Blue Jeans Summer Social & Auction held at the Deer Island Stock Ranch. Due to the pandemic, the event has been canceled and rescheduled to August 3, 2023 at the Ranch.
The fundraising event drew a large crowd in 2017.
Many anonymous donors contribute regularly. Many do so with the belief that they have been given “a chance to grow” and want to return that good fortune by helping students get started in life. The Clatskanie Kiwanis Club also partners with the Columbia Learning Center to raise funds for additional scholarships in their community.
To help support “The Chance to Become Scholarship,” your tax-deductible donations can be sent to Columbia Center, PO Box 1094, St. Helens, Oregon 97051.