4-STAR SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS HELPS POWER VCP MISSION
DONOR-SUPPORTED AWARDS MAKE COLLEGE DREAMS COME TRUE
For VCP graduates like Denise Pizarro, VCP Class of 2021 and IUPUI Class of 2025, being a first-generation American and college student comes with much joy but also challenges, particularly the high cost of tuition and needed supplies.
The VCP Four-Star Scholarship Awards were created in 2020 to support graduates with demonstrated financial need who plan to matriculate to college. Awards are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study.
For Pizarro, the 4-Star Scholarship significantly reduced the pressure she and her family felt to be ready for the first day of college because the funds were available to her in May before her first semester at IUPUI.
“Most scholarships are not available until August or later when the first semester starts, so being able to access it (the 4-Star Scholarship) right away was a big advantage because you get to prepare yourself,” Pizarro says. “And mentally, I didn’t have to worry about the first week of college without a new laptop or my textbooks.”