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2022 saw seven very deserving women of the Coastline family be awarded the Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award. Coastline is proud to announce that this year, another three hard-working, dedicated, and well-deserving Coastline women have been recognized by the organization. Let’s shine the spotlight on our winners while also highlighting the support services available to anyone who may need an extra helping hand at Coastline.
Coastline College Soroptimist "Live Your Dream" Award Honorees Hasanah Chhom, Nguyen Ha, and Mindy Johnson (not pictured).
This week on the Coastline Blog, we want to take a moment to spotlight and congratulate three recipients of the Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award who happen to be our very own Coastline students, Mindy Johnson, Nguyen Ha, and Hasanah Chhom!
Soroptimist's Live Your Dream Awards program is a unique education award for women who provide the primary financial support for their families. The Live Your Dream Awards give women the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment prospects.
Nguyen Ha, who is involved in Coastline’s EOPS program, says she learned about the scholarship through Coastline’s Basic Needs program, which provides students assistance with food, housing, technology, textbooks, and other basic needs so students can focus on their studies with alleviated stress from financial burdens.
With the straightforward application process, which she says was convenient for her because it was online, she says she was inspired to apply for the scholarship because of the support it would give her. “I need this scholarship because it alleviates stress and financial burdens, allows me to focus more on my studies, and gives me more motivation for my studies.”
Students must have access to opportunities and support that aid them in achieving academic success, and The Live Your Dream Award is just one of the avenues of support that are available to Coastline Students!
Let’s explore the various opportunities Coastline offers students to make their academic journey as stress-free, easy, and successful as possible!
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Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS)
EOPS is an application-based program with two programs, CARE and NextUp, under it. EOPS is designed to help underserved, low-income students achieve their academic and personal goals.
The CARE program is a supplemental program to EOPS that is designed to provide the extra help a single parent may need to achieve their academic and career goals.
NextUp is a supplemental program housed within EOPS that is designed to provide support services and other resources, including direct aid to current and former foster youth.
According to the EOPS/CARE/NextUp Director, Mai Le, many students aren’t aware of the services the program provides, or that they’re eligible to apply, which is one key barrier to students applying, along with a few others.
“Students might not have access to information about EOPS, how it works, or its benefits.” She says. “Some students might feel stigmatized or embarrassed to apply for EOPS due to misconceptions about the program, or fear of judgment from peers.”
However, EOPS, CARE, and NextUp services are a great aid and empower students to overcome barriers and achieve success on their academic journey.
Through services such as individualized counseling, resources that alleviate financial burdens, workshops, and more, students are provided with the support they need to pursue their education. “We empower students to believe in their ability to succeed and to keep pursuing their dreams,” Director Le says.
The support services EOPS/CARE/NextUp provides include:
If you are a student applying to EOPS, Director Le recommends students:
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CalWORKs
Coastline’s CalWORKs program provides CalWORKs recipients with support services that include:
Check out Student Services @ Coastline
Financial Aid – Scholarships, Work Study, & More
With a plethora of scholarships, work-study positions, federal and state grants, and loan options, Coastline is committed to finding cost-effective ways for students to pursue their education and achieve academic success, which includes providing various types of financial aid to students who demonstrate financial need! After completing the FAFSA application and seeing what they qualify for, students can then explore which avenue of financial assistance is best for them, or even a combination of options to get them as much help as possible to reach their educational goals.
Coastline Scholarships
During the fall and spring semesters, Coastline students can apply for scholarships through the Coastline Foundation. Students are required to fill out one general application where they will be matched with scholarships based on their eligibility. More than 300 scholarships are disbursed each year, offered in a variety of award amounts ranging from $250-$13,000.
Coastline STEM Scholarship
Coastline’s STEM scholarship is available to low-income students interested in pursuing a STEM education! Students can be awarded up to $13,000 across 5 semesters, laptops and Wi-Fi to use during enrollment, an Associate Degree for transfer, STEM activities, internships, and mentorships.
External Scholarships
In addition to our scholarships, Coastline also receives announcements for various types of external scholarships, like the Live Your Dream Award, that are funded by private donors and organizations outside of Coastline. These scholarships range from general and unique scholarships to race, gender, career, and psychology-based scholarships! These scholarships can be found through free scholarship searches like iGrad, Fastweb, and Scholarship America.
State & Federal Grants
Grants are financial aid awards given – usually from either a state or federal level - that don’t need to be repaid. Think of a scholarship, but without the additional requirements and application essays. Where scholarships are usually merit-based, grants are typically need-based, sometimes with other identifying factors (and of course some academic standard requirements such as minimum GPA or number of enrolled units). Types of state grants available at Coastline include the California Promise, Cal Grants A, B, & C, and the Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG), and federal grants include the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).
Explore More Financial Aid @ Coastline
Federal Work-Study
Federal Work-Study is a program that offers on-campus jobs to students. Starting at $15 an hour, students can work up to 19 hours per week until the student’s award amount is exhausted, and must be enrolled in at least six units while also meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress. Federal Work-Study is arguably the best option for financial aid after gifted aid. Not only is it still money you won’t be required to pay back, but many work study positions can help a student with valuable hands-on experience in their desired career field, additional skills and accolades to include on their resume, and even opportunities for networking and potential references for after graduation and entering the job hunt.
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Loans
Federal Direct Loans are low-interest loans borrowed from the US Department of Education to help students and parents to help pay for college. They are available to undergraduate students enrolled in at least six units. Coastline offers two types of federal direct loans to students – subsidized (for students with demonstrated financial need - no interest is charged when the student is in school at least half-time, during the grace and deferment periods), and unsubsidized (not financial need-based, and interest is charged whether you’re in school or not). There is also a Parent Plus Loan available for eligible parents of a dependent who have a good credit history.
One last thing…
Having support throughout your academic journey, whether it’s academic, financial, or personal is imperative to having a successful academic journey and finishing strong! The opportunities and resources offered at Coastline are specifically designed to help you—don’t be afraid to go after all the support the college has to offer!
With the various resources offered at Coastline, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. If you find yourself lost, confused, or in need, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Financial Aid Office, EOPS or CalWORKs Office, Basic Needs, or the Scholarships Office for help finding the right support for you!
