Education major receives Sallie Mae Fund scholarship

Northwest sophomore Sarah Valencia has received a $3,800 scholarship from the Sallie Mae Fund, the charitable arm of SLM Corp. (Sallie Mae), the nation's largest student lender.

Valencia's award is for the current school year. The special education and reading major from Kansas City is working toward a bachelor's degree in education.

So far this year, the Sallie Mae Fund has awarded $2.5 million in scholarships as part of its effort to widen access to higher education for lower-income and minority students. Its current scholarship programs include:

The First in My Family Scholarship ($500-$5,000), which was awarded this year to 158 Hispanic-American students who were the first in their family to attend college.
The Unmet Need Scholarship, a "last-dollar" program that awarded more than $1 million to 335 students confronting a financial need gap.
The American Dream Scholarship, which provided $500,000 in aid to 179 African-American students.
The Sallie Mae 9/11 Education Fund, which this year will provide $2,500 scholarships to more than 20 students who lost immediate family in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The Writers of Passage Scholarship, which provides $5,000 to each of four award recipients along with a $20,000 grant to the winners' schools.
The Community College Transfer Scholarship, which provides last-dollar scholarships to Latino students transferring from a community college to an approved, accredited institution of higher learning. Award amounts range from $1,000 to $2,500.

For more information about available financial aid, go to the fund's free scholarship search function at www.salliemaefund.org.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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