The SC4 Foundation has a long history of helping area students from all walks of life succeed. This spring the Foundation continues that tradition by awarding $186,233 in scholarships for the upcoming academic year. Recipients are pursuing a variety of majors, from health sciences to business to communications.

“Education changes lives, and providing access is even more crucial in these uncertain economic times,” said SC4 President Dr. Deborah Snyder. “Our donors contribute to the future of individual students and to our community through their generosity.”

Two of this year’s recipients were awarded scholarships from newly established funds – the Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship Fund and the Janet S. Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Established by Dick Hillaker in memory of his late wife, Janet, the Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial provides scholarships to full-time SC4 students who are graduates of Port Huron High School or Port Huron Northern High School. Janet taught kindergarten for more than 30 years, so this scholarship has a preference for supporting education majors.

The first student to receive the Albrecht-Hillaker Memorial is Port Huron High School graduate Jenna Holzberger. She plans on attending SC4 for two years before transferring to a 4-year university to pursue her bachelor’s in elementary education. 

“My desire is to return to St. Clair County and start my career as a kindergarten teacher and coach,” Holzberger said. “I had the incredible opportunity of having a kindergarten teacher at Michigamme Elementary who inspired me to become a teacher.”

The Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship Fund was created by Officer Dan LeVey of the Marysville Police Department for criminal justice majors at SC4 who are current or former participants of an Explorers or Cadet Program in St. Clair County.

Natalie Stroh is a recent graduate of the Marysville Explorers program who has had a life-long passion for law enforcement. She will continue her criminal justice studies this fall at SC4 and is the first student to receive the Marysville Police Explorers Scholarship.

“One of the noteworthy improvements to the scholarship process for the SC4 Foundation is application cycles that are open year-round. Any remaining scholarship dollars at the end of a cycle are made available to eligible applicants,” said William Oldford, President of SC4 Foundation. Check the SC4 website for more information.

Scholarships are a big part of what the SC4 Foundation does, but it’s not the only way it helps students pursue their educational goals. The Foundation also supports other projects and programs that provide students with better learning experiences.

Unrestricted giving to the SC4 Foundation allows greater flexibility to how dollars are used to better meet current college priorities. In recent years, the Foundation has helped expand the SC4 Experience Center programming, provided funding for local students to visit the Experience Center, as well as grants towards the Tarbosauras skeleton cast added to the Nasr Natural Science Museum.

“The greatest gift a donor can leave is an unrestricted gift the SC4 Foundation can use for greater impact on campus,” Oldford said. “SC4 Foundation is proud to offer donors the opportunity to support the college’s priority areas, including their long-term vision for student success and enhancements on campus.”  

The St. Clair County Community College Foundation started in 1963 to raise friends and funds to benefit SC4 and the students it serves.