Customization causing a change in how college scholarships work

PHOENIX — Could the way college scholarships work be changing?

The Helios Education Foundation, a Phoenix-based organization that works to improve post-secondary education access in Arizona, held a webinar on Tuesday discussing the customization of scholarships and how it could make post-secondary education more accessible.

Paul Luna, the president and CEO of Helios, said being able to adjust how scholarships are given out could help low-income or first-generation students get a college education, as there would be flexibility when it comes to how scholarship money is used.

He said changing the way scholarships work begins with proving individualization can impact growth and college completion levels in a positive way.

“Building the case through data, through strong practices that we know will lead to the type of outcomes we [want],” Luna said. “I think it’s going to become more and more important as we see scholarships evolve over time.”

Adjustable scholarships helping Valley community college student

Jay Vasquez-Hidalgo is a recipient of the Phoenix Promise Scholarship, a program supporting students at Maricopa Community Colleges that is funded by the city of Phoenix.

She said having the ability to adjust the scholarship to her needs, such as having multiple internships with different cost requirements, helped her manage her education.

“Accessibility is extremely important, and so the fact that I was able just to put what eligibility that I qualify for and made everything a lot easier,” she said.

Luna also acknowledged the variety of career paths available to high school graduates and said in a growing economy, having a customizable option for financial aid could encourage post-secondary enrollment.

“Our scholarship support of students needs to align with those student interests and how they’re pursuing their education after high school… to be flexible and supportive and [provide] these wrap-around services alongside the full continuum in the way students are pursuing [education],” he said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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