Published Friday, November 18, 2005 1:00 am
By Nicol Jenkins
Tuition, room and board and books add up quickly. For Melody Strattan, an awarded scholarship can help defer the cost. The Debt Management Credit Counseling Corporation, a not-for-profit credit-counseling agency based in Boca Raton, awarded the Florida Atlantic University junior with the Debt Management Credit Counseling Corporation Honors Scholarship. The organization has been involved in assisting students at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College since 2001. The corporation has distributed more than $23,000 in scholarship funding. The scholarship will provide financial assistance to Strattan during her 2005- 2006 academic year. “It’s going towards my tuition here, and books are usually about $600 a semester,” Strattan said. “It definitely helps me because I’d like not going into debt going to school. Also when I go to graduate school, I won’t have a lot to pay off. The scholarship definitely helps me.”
Jessica Stokes, DMCC Education and Research Coordinator said Strattan is a prime example of a scholarship winner. “She’s in the Honors College, so right off the bat we know these kids take pride in their studies, show a degree of intellectuality, and are a cut above the rest. She’s also very creative, personable, very dedicated to education and shows a desire in getting an education,” Stokes said. Strattan thinks her 3.96 GPA and club involvement helped her win the scholarship. “I was surprised and proud of it. I have a pretty good GPA and am involved in several clubs on campus such as the McCarthy Campus Christian, the Black Student Union and the Galaxy Gators Astronomy club.” Stokes said the organization’s goal is to provide students with educational opportunities. “Melody stated it was an honor for her to receive this scholarship. What she does not know is that the honor is truly ours. We are proud to be a part of this community and to support students with an excellent education,” Stokes said. Strattan said the money would assist in her goal of becoming a veterinarian. “I’m a pre-med major and am planning to go to vet school and becoming a veterinarian. I love science and animals and I thought that would be a good thing to do,” Strattan said.
