Wingspan, Spring 2023
We’ve all seen the signs in storefronts or experienced a delay in services due to staffing challenges. There is no denying it – our community and nation are facing critical labor shortages. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in skilled trades and health care professions.
AACC is meeting the needs of our community to advance the future careers of students in these essential fields. In the past year, AACC has greatly expanded its workforce development and health science programs. Now with the Clauson Center for Innovation and Skilled Trades and the Health and Life Sciences Building, students pursuing
skilled trades and health care professions have dedicated, state-of-the-art spaces to receive hands-on learning.
However, many AACC students have to decide between their future career and immediate financial needs. With the support of charitable contributions made through the AACC Foundation, students are better able to strive toward their academic goals to provide opportunity and security for themselves and their families.
Alan Harper is one of many students to receive a private scholarship. Reflecting on his time in the welding program, he said, “I have loved the classes. I have chosen this field because it is my passion, and it is a career that is reliable, long term and secure. … This scholarship gives me an opportunity to not only better myself but pursue a career that will take care of my family as well.”
Approximately 700 students each year receive privately funded scholarships to help them complete their education and enter the workforce. Yet the need for support remains high as students often face continued obstacles to the cost of an education.
Teri Isaacs, a private scholarship recipient, said, “I am the first generation in my family to graduate high school, nonetheless get into college. I have chosen to get into nursing because I have a passion to empathize with people and I love caring and nurturing them back to health. Attending AACC has changed my life for the better. … One day my children will understand what trials I have gone through to finish my goal and will be proud of me.”
The AACC Foundation is committed to increasing the resources necessary to help students pursue their dreams and facilitate entry into the careers that the community needs most. An investment in our students is an investment in our local community. Together we can build a strong workforce for the future.
To learn more about the impact private scholarships can make, visit: aacc.edu/foundation.
The AACC Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization that partners with donors and the college to increase access to higher education in our community through student scholarships and strategic initiatives that would otherwise not be possible.