LAKE CHARLES, LA – Nonprofit, online Western Governors University (WGU) surprised Beauregard Parish resident Kathryn Curtis with an “Essential Workers Scholarship” of $3000 during an interview with WGU South Region Strategic Partnerships Manager Kathy Hietala.
The Essential Workers Scholarship, valued up to $3,000, was created for teachers, grocery store employees, postal workers, sanitation workers, delivery drivers, transit employees and other essential workers to thank them for their unwavering perseverance and commitment to their communities.
“The resilience and dedication essential workers have shown throughout the pandemic have been remarkable. We strive to honor people like Katherine with the “Essential Workers Scholarship” to say thank you and help them progress towards obtaining a degree,” said Linda Battles, Regional Director, WGU South Region.
Curtis—a third-grade teacher at Fairview Elementary—is currently working to earn a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with the nonprofit, online university. Her goals as an educator are to improve her depth of knowledge and pass it along to her colleagues. Long-term, Curtis aspires to become a specialist in the field of curriculum.
“I became a teacher to teach people how to change the world and chase their dreams,” said Curtis. In the scholarship interview, she explains how her mother and grandmother pushed her to follow her goal of returning to higher education. Curtis became overwhelmed with emotion after being surprised and explained how her grandmother supported her financially “without question” to achieve her educational goals and how much this scholarship will help. “This is just so exciting. I so appreciate it, and I’m very thankful.”
The Essential Workers Scholarships are open to new students whose jobs were considered essential throughout the COVID-19. Each $3,000 scholarship will be applied to WGU’s flat-rate tuition and credited at the rate of $750 per six-month term, renewable for up to four terms. The deadline to apply is December 31, 2021. Learn more at wgu.edu/essential.
