LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Peach State FCU is helping underwrite a new scholarship at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) that will help first-generation college students reduce the cost of their education.
Generally, first generation students are defined as those whose parents did not complete a four-year college or university degree, the credit union said.
Made possible by a $250,000 pledge to the Georgia Gwinnett College Foundation from Peach State Federal Credit Union, the initiative, called The Peach State Federal Credit Union First-Generation Scholars Program, will provide scholarships funded by an endowment.
The endowment will allow this scholarship to live in perpetuity, the credit union said.
Once fully funded, The Peach State Federal Credit Union First-generation Scholars Program will provide a $2,500 scholarship to an incoming freshman. The scholarship can be renewed annually for four years, totaling $10,000.
“This will be a very significant program for our students,” said GGC President Jann L. Joseph. “In many cases, scholarships are the difference between students who drop out of school and those who move on to graduate.”
Joseph said that she’s thankful for the continuing support from Peach State, who have invested in GGC through academic scholarships, student engagement and participation in GGC’s Corporate Affiliates Program.
Peach State President/CEO Marshall Boutwell currently serves on the Board of Visitors in the college’s School of Business.
“We were founded more than 60 years ago by educators. Staying true to those roots is very important to us as a credit union and something that we strive to support through the work of the Peach State FCU C.A.R.E.S. Foundation,” Boutwell said. “We’re thrilled this endowment will create scholarships for first-generation students. It is our hope that this support will help them achieve their goals, and positively impact their lives and the lives of their families.”