Shaunté Betts, a radiology student at National Park College, has become the first recipient of the Kristy Carter scholarship.
The $250 scholarship helps recipients with books or supplies that they may need for their education, founder Kristy Carter said.
Betts said was honored to receive the scholarship, which Carter said she started because she felt that it was time for her to give back to the community. Betts noted that the community has been good to her, so she wanted to be good to it in return.
"Working in higher education, I've noticed that there aren't as many scholarships devoted to black women or women of color," Carter said.
"Being able to serve through scholarship and helping someone financially is always a good thing."
Carter also said she started the scholarship to get started giving back, noting, "I'm not rich. I definitely don't have a lot of money, but I made some sacrifices so that I could give back to someone else."
Carter said that the requirements are that the recipient must be an African American woman who is pursuing a degree completion or a certification completion. They have to have a GPA of 2.5 or higher and write an essay discussing their needs, how they will use the scholarship, and how it will help them.
Betts feels she was selected because she wrote an essay about her overcoming some hardships she has faced in life, she said.
"I am in school currently, and I work hard. I'm dedicated, and I'm very successful in maintaining a good grade-point average," Betts said.
She plans to use the scholarship for her books and education. She also plans to continue her education as she moves forward to become a radiologist, noting that she wants to get her bachelor's degree after she completes her work at NPC.
Carter said she hopes that more women like herself will benefit from this scholarship, such as women who are working single parents, who have overcome obstacles in their life or who need some support.
"I hope that's who it will help in the long run," she said.
Carter said that her process of creating this scholarship was she reached out to Darla Thurber, vice president of external affairs at NPC, about seeing if the college had any scholarships for African American women, noting that Thurber couldn't identify one at the time.
"I wanted to do something. I wanted to help, and it was as easy as writing a check," she said.
"I want to thank Kristy Carter for giving me that opportunity and that eventually that I may be able to help someone else to," Betts said.
"I want to thank National Park College for its continued commitment to our students and to the African American community. I am a proponent for all students, but I certainly want to be an advocate for those who may be left in the margins or underrepresented, and this is my way of giving back," Carter said.
Carter is also raising funds for the scholarship, which can be given through the National Park College Foundation at http://www.np.edu/give.
Local on 03/09/2020