Mililani Resident Receives a Full-Tuition Online Degree Scholarship from Ashworth College

Dec. 1, 2009 - PRLog -- NORCROSS, Georgia –  Ashworth College today announced that Katherine Nelson, a resident of Mililani, HI, is the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship, to pursue her degree online. Nelson’s essay, where she shared her personal story and aspiration to attain a higher education to improve her life, was selected from the close to 300,000 applicants applying for an eLearners.com Career Stimulus Package Scholarship.

Nelson, a displaced operations manager, recognizes that the formal education she received nearly 20 years ago is no longer relevant in today’s job market and is seeking job skills that are current, readily applicable and will help her to quickly become more competitive. She plans to pursue a Professional Property Management Program at Ashworth College (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu).

“Property management is an important and integral part of real estate and business. I know I possess the requisite personal skills to be an excellent property manager,” Nelson said. “I have a good deal of management and accounting background, and I recently worked for several years for a local real estate company.”

Nelson expressed that she was looking forward to studying online. “I enjoy doing research on my computer and I am always eager to learn,” she explained. “Computers were not a common denominator back in the 1980's but now so much learning can be acquired online.”

“My future is already looking more optimistic. It will be a blessing for my family to have a career that will carry me through until retirement,” Nelson said. “This scholarship is a great first step to redefining my life and purpose.”

The Career Stimulus Package $4 million scholarship campaign was designed to highlight the need for financial aid and promote awareness and interest in online higher education.  It also helped give people the confidence they need to pursue a degree and the career they want, even in this tough economy.  The Career Stimulus Package campaign received about 100,000 applications a month from adults who expressed interest in returning to school.  To apply for a scholarship, applicants had to explain why they want to go back to school, what they hope to accomplish, how online education would help them accomplish those goals, and their personal stories of triumph over adversity.  

“Participating in the Career Stimulus Package Scholarship Campaign has been a positive experience for Ashworth College,” said F. Milton Miller, Ed.D. and Ashworth Vice President, Education. “It’s a great opportunity, through education, to help deserving, hard-working adults make a positive impact in their lives.”

“With the current economic climate, it is essential to have the greatest competitive advantage possible,” Miller added. “Having a college degree or advanced training can set an employee or job seeker apart -- demonstrating business knowledge to peers, potential customers and current or future employers.”

In addition to the scholarship for Nelson, Ashworth College granted an additional 29 scholarships.  In total, the Career Stimulus Package campaign awarded more than 100 full-tuition scholarships to deserving adults, with the help of eight accredited online schools.  

“Thanks to the incredible generosity of our partner schools, adults are able to go back to school without having to worry about how they are  going to fund their education,” said Terrence Thomas, Executive Vice President of Marketing for eLearners.com.  “Adults are often a forgotten population when it comes to financial aid.  We hear from people over and over that they want to go back to school, but can’t afford it.  This campaign helped eliminate one huge roadblock for these individuals.”  

The Career Stimulus Package campaign also included a nationwide RV tour which traveled across the country from June to September 2009, offering free career coaching.  Nearly 1,000 people took part in the career coaching, which led to the creation of a free book of wisdom based on the most common questions asked from the road.  That book can be found at http://www.careerstimulus.com.

Editor’s Note:  To arrange an interview with a scholarship recipient, or a member of the Career Stimulus Package campaign contact Jenny Foust at 303.433.7020, jfoust@csg-pr.com.  To speak with a member of Ashworth College contact Richard Orr at 770.729.8400, rorr@ashworthcollege.edu.

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About Ashworth College

Ashworth College, a leader in distance education, offers students worldwide more than 100 career-focused High School and Career online diploma programs; undergraduate and graduate online certificate programs; and Associate, Bachelor’s and Master’s online degree programs that are affordable and fit the busy schedules of working adults. Ashworth also offers specialized programs to corporate partners, active duty military personnel, military spouses, and homeschoolers.

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), a division of the US Department of Education. Ashworth High School is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). For more information visit http://www.ashworthcollege.edu/.