Texan Mosaic

By Fabiola Carrion/Texan Mosaic

March 1 is coming quick, and with that, the deadline to submit the general scholarship application at South Plains College. Every SPC student is  encouraged to submit their application. The scholarship application can be completed online and is also used to award departmental scholarships.

Shalyn Slape, the scholarship coordinator for the South Plains College Foundation, expressed the importance for SPC students to take advantage of this opportunity and stressed why students should submit their scholarship application before the deadline.

“The priority day is March 1, so you are kind of more guaranteed to get a scholarship if you meet the deadline date or priority date of March 1,” Slape said. “We still accept applications after the March 1 deadline, we open back on May 1, it’s just not a guarantee that you’ll get a scholarship awarded that time.”

There are several ways SPC students can strengthen their scholarship applications. Slape emphasized the benefits of having outside-classroom activities, and finding the right person to write a recommendation letter.

“We want to know what you do outside of your time from school. So, if it’s volunteer work, employment history, maybe you coach a basketball team,” Slape said. “We also request at least one recommendation letter, you can add up to three, but we would like at least one favorable recommendation letter from somebody other than a family member.”

“So, I usually tell students that they can get that from employers, from somebody that taught them on high school, or maybe a current college professor, or employer, just somebody that knows your character,” Slape continued.

The South Plains College Foundation provides a broad number of scholarships annually to an average of 800 student recipients across all campuses. Slape mentioned that all those recipients received more than economic benefits after being granted an award.

“It is a good networking opportunity, students who receive scholarships from the foundation, if they came from a specific organization, will hold an event. This year, we held an event that students got to meet the director of the Helen DeVitt Jones Foundation.” Slape said.

“We also have an annual scholarship banquet. So, if students receive money from a scholarship that is in memory of or in honor of an individual, that you get a chance to meet their donors in November at that function,” Slape said.

If students are unsure about scholarships because they plan to transfer to another institution, Slape mentioned that SPC has some agreements with local universities that can support transfer students.

“We have local colleges, Wayland, LCU, and Texas Tech mainly, that we have agreements with, those institutions will offer transfer students scholarship money if they complete at least 60 hours, or get their associate degree here at South Plains College,” Slape said.

There are other financial support opportunities that students are encouraged to navigate, too. Slape understands the challenges international students have to face related to funding options.

“Students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA, I know that’s not possible for international students, but we have TASFA that is very limited that students can receive,” Slape said. “If they are an international student, I encourage them to look for organizations within the country they are from, because some of those organizations will send some, and there is probably scholarship money on their behalf to help with their studies.”   

The scholarship application portal will stay open until the priority date, March 1. Every SPC student is encouraged to apply online. If students have any questions regarding the application process, they can contact Shalyn Slape at  sslape@southplainscollege.edu.