May 27, 2014 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – A new scholarship established specifically to help nontraditional students attend college or another post-secondary educational institution was established at the Community Foundation of Greene County.

The Stealth Scholarship was established by an anonymous donor to provide scholarships for nontraditional students who live or work in Greene County and who plan to pursue either a two-year or a four-year degree at an accredited college, university, community college or trade/technical school.

For the purpose of the scholarship, a nontraditional student is one who graduated from high school at least two years ago or who received a General Educational Development certificate and is at least 22 years of age.

According to Bettie Stammerjohn, executive director at CFGC, the donor wishes to be able to help those who want to make a better life for themselves by getting a better education. Sometimes, those individuals are stymied by the cost of education and lack of financial aid.

“The donor thought this might be a nice scholarship for someone who may be employed in the service industry but would like to go back to school for a different career or higher wage,” Stammerjohn said.

“Or it could benefit someone who didn’t quite know what they wanted to do when they completed high school and have now decided what they want to do. There are many possibilities,” she said.

The Stealth Fund is the first scholarship at the foundation that is specifically for nontraditional students. The donor made an initial gift of $10,000 to start the Stealth Scholarship Fund.

“I hope that this will encourage other individuals and businesses to consider supporting nontraditional scholarships, either by adding to the Stealth Scholarship Fund or establishing their own fund,” said the donor. “There are many people in Greene County who are looking for a fresh start and opportunity to have a career.”

To be eligible to apply for the Stealth Scholarship, applicants must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident for at least two years;

• Be a resident of Greene County or employed in Greene County for at least two years;

• Be accepted in an accredited program of post-secondary education, technical or trade school training (vocational, technical, business school or 2-year or 4-year college or university) to complete a post-secondary degree leading to a certificate or associate or bachelor degree;

• Be a high school graduate or have received a GED certificate before applying;

• Be graduated from high school for a minimum of two years;

• Be at least 22 years of age prior to the application deadline;

• Not be currently enrolled in a four-year degree program; and

• Have a financial need.

There are additional criteria and an application form to be completed which can be found on the CFGC website at www.cfgcpa.org/scholarships. Copies of the application have been distributed to the Pennsylvania CareerLink office at 4 West High Street, Waynesburg.

Scholarships will not exceed $2,500 annually and may be renewable for up to four years. The scholarship must be used for tuition, fees or textbooks required for the course of study.

Applications for the fall semester of schooling are due June 30. Awards will be announced July 31.

For more information about the Stealth Scholarship, contact the CFGC office at 108 E. High Street, by phone at 725-627-2010 or email cfgcpa@gmail.com.