New scholarship helps community college students reach goals with Bridge to Bachelor's

A new scholarship for community college students will help hundreds further their education. Several students in the state's Bridge to Bachelor's program will soon learn if they'll have more financial support to attend a four-year university.  

The Colorado Community College System's Bridge to Bachelor's Degree program ensures first-time students attending a CCCS college are admitted to participating four-year colleges or universities after completing their associate degrees.  

The Reisher Scholars Program has long supported students midway through college, helping them complete undergraduate degrees. The new Reisher Bridge Scholarship will give financial assistance to community college students before they transfer. 

For students like Lukas Boryla, beginning his higher education journey at Arapahoe Community College was the best move financially.  

"Any kind of additional financial assistance, regardless of who you are, would be wonderful for students across Colorado," said Boryla. "I am lucky for Pell Grants. We're looking at $300 or $400 price tags for textbooks that we're maybe going to use slightly." 

Dr. Lisa Matye Edwards, Vice President of Student Affairs at ACC, says 30 credits at Arapahoe Community College costs about $5,000.  

"From the attrition of students that intend to transfer and don't, we as the community college system see the need and hear the need from our students," said Matye Edwards. "A two-year degree can turn into a five-year degree. And there are opportunity costs in that." 

Since financial aid information is already on record, Matye Edwards says students eligible for the scholarship don't need to apply.  

The $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to 250 Bridge to Bachelor's students, from any of the state's 13 community colleges, who already qualify for financial assistance.  

"If you're talking about $2,000, that's almost an entire semester for a student that's covered. That's money that they don't have to worry about and can put directly into their four-year. That's a life-changing thing," said Matye Edwards.  

After running the Reisher Scholars Program for more than 20 years, the Denver Foundation noticed there was a gap in support for students who had an untraditional path through higher education." said Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of the Denver Foundation, which runs the Reisher Scholars Program. "Community colleges greatly expand the opportunities for students to earn a degree. We are proud to support these students as they pursue this goal."   

To be eligible, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA and have less than 30 credits remaining toward their associate degrees.  

Students must also be transferring to one of eight participating schools that include: 

* University of Northern Colorado 

* University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 

* University of Colorado, Denver 

* Metropolitan State University of Denver 

* Colorado Mesa University 

* Colorado State University Fort Collins 

* Colorado State University, Pueblo 

* Fort Lewis College 



"This would be game-changing for a lot of people. It would help them pursue degrees they never dreamed of pursuing," said Boryla. 



The scholarship foundation is currently working to identify and announce those scholars in the coming weeks.  



"We transform lives every day already. This is going to allow us to transform more lives in Colorado," said Matye Edwards. "For some families, that means the difference of their kid going to college or going directly into a low-paying job and perpetuating a cycle that's hard for their family to break."