"Students Helping Students:" A Graduating Class Gift

"Students Helping Students" is a fresh new way for college students to give a cash gift to other students, as they graduate and start a new life outside of Valencia. The Alumni Association has spearheaded the cause.

"The funds will be available to support Valencia students through scholarships for expenses such as tuition, books, fees, etc. The level of support and number of scholarships will depend on the total amount there will be to award," said Barbara Shell, Assistant Director of Community and Alumni Relations.

Most donations are around $10, but some have been as high as $50 and each donation is matched, dollar for dollar. During the graduation information sessions on the different campuses, new graduates contributed their spare change to growing well.

This year's graduating class is the largest the college has ever had. If every one of the 6,100 students, in this class, donated $5, that comes out to a potential of $30,500 for new students on every campus.

One student donated an entire credit card and others put checks or cash into the glass bowl at Winter Park campus, last Thursday.

Classes are $87.36, per credit hour, for Florida residents; which is about $262.08 for each class. This doesn't include various lab fees, books, or other registration costs.

With the rising costs of tuition and housing, college students need all the money they can get. The Valencia Alumni Association is here to lend a hand, as long as graduating students are willing to give back to the college that has helped them along their way.

"We have collected $510 so far for the Students Helping Students Class Gift. With the dollar-for-dollar match up to $2,000 from the Valencia Alumni Association, that increases the $510 to $1,020," said Shell.

"The grand total of Students Helping Students Class Gift donations we have at the end of April, plus the Alumni match, will be announced by the Distinguished Graduate for this year, Kim Do, at Commencement on May 9th," said Shell.

Students can check back, on Atlas, to see when and where the Alumni Association will be collecting donations at a campus and http://www.valenciacc.edu/alumni is available to accept electronic donations.